Rector - Revd. Teresa Townsend

Dear Friends,

I woke up on the morning of writing this article with the Beatles' song Here Comes the Sun in my head. Given that it was a Friday in February - Valentine’s Day, no less - I wasn’t really expecting sunshine. I was right. It was another grey day, a day where it seemed as though an absence of colour was required and all the greens were muted. However, all around, there were signs of spring. Snowdrops stood in abundance, waiting for some warmth to entice them to open. Daffodils and crocuses were pushing through the earth, their green stalks offering a hint of what was to come. The gentle colours of the primroses and aconites in the Rectory garden hinted at the hope of a new season.

And that’s what this month’s Ramblings from the Rectory is about: the hope of a new season. This year, March brings the beginning of Lent, a time of preparation remembering Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness before his ministry began. For many, Lent is marked by Shrove Tuesday when pancakes are tossed and eaten and it can be a time when something is given up during it, such as chocolate or wine, although I wonder if it has the same focus in that way nowadays when there are so many months allotted to giving something up?

Lent is a time that I really enjoy. While Advent is about preparing for the birth of a tiny baby who Christians believe is the Son of God, and is a time filled with festive busyness, Lent feels different—a gentle waking up to something extraordinary that happened two thousand years ago. For those who choose to believe, the days leading to Easter can help shape faith and life.

Lent invites us to explore questions, seek new understanding, and reflect on challenges. It leads us through darker times—Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion—before arriving at the joy of Easter morning, when we celebrate His resurrection. Amazing, awesome, inspiring - but also deeply thought-provoking. 

As this season unfolds, Spring will bring more light, colour, and fresh air. The flowers will bloom, birds will nest, and insects will awaken. Even if the temperature remains unpredictable, nature’s renewal will bring smiles after winter’s darkness. 

I do struggle at times in the winter with the cold and the dark, as many people do. The sun being only an occasional visitor can make life feel as though it is absent of colour. So for me, Spring is very much anticipated and longed for. 

I know this is also true for Nic in terms of Spring. He is itching to get started in the garden again and by the time you read this, I have no doubt that his little potting shed of seeds (it’s actually the garage) will be lovingly nurtured and watched over.  He already has a plan for what order he will sow the seeds and which new plants he will try growing this year.

I’ve written many times about how I see both Nic’s work in the garden and my work in the parishes as being parallel in focus and I too have been working, with our churches, to decide what we can focus on this year, what is needed and when. I would be delighted to hear from you of any ideas you may have that will enable us to connect more with our village communities as well as within our church worship. Do get in touch with me if you have any thoughts.

For now though, I’ll keep hoping for blue skies, a warming breeze, and that both Spring and Lent will bring light and joy into our lives. And I’ll keep singing: Here comes the sun, do do do do, here comes the sun…

Every blessing,
Teresa