Jesus told the crowd, who were gathered to hear his sermon on the mount, that they should avoid showing off their devotion. After hearing his words read in church today, we are marked with ashes, and then we walk out bearing the sign of the cross on our foreheads. If that isn’t a public display of religiousness, what is?
Ash Wednesday 2018 ~ From Chocolate to AshesToday, St Valentine’s Day, is a feast day of chocolate. And chocolate is very important to a lot of people. How many of us would want to live without it? Chocolate, that wonderful substance, that can be drunk or eaten, without any physically or mentally destructive side-effects, and of which we consume thousands … Read More
Vicar’s Blog ~ February 2018 Dear Friends, This year, Ash Wednesday falls on St Valentine’s Day in the middle of Half Term, and Easter Day is April Fool’s Day. I didn’t vote for either of those! The dating of Easter (and thereby of everything that relates to it, in Lent, and afterwards at Ascension and Pentecost), hinges on the phases … Read More
Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of blessing ashes made from palm branches blessed on the previous year’s Palm Sunday, and placing them on the heads of participants to the accompaniment of the words “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” or “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. Join us this Ash Wednesday to … Read More
Ash Wednesday ~ Ashes to Ashes – Genesis 18:27-33Do you have a real fireplace in your home? Many homes still do have a functioning grate and chimney and an open fire in the living room has become a nostalgic, symbolic reference to an age from which we have thankfully moved on. And even if we may not have or want … Read More
Ash WednesdayLent is something that belongs to the church and not to the world. For sure, some people talk of giving something up for Lent, of going to the gym more, or of going on a diet. Lent is a good time to do this, but that isn’t what Lent is intended for, even if it is used for that … Read More
Ash Wednesday 2015 ~ The 3Rs of LentLet me give you a quick roundup of the last week or so:Sky TV paid £5.136bn for football rights. Islamic State beheaded 21 Coptic Christians. The Bishops of the Church of England upset the government by talking about politics and welfare again. The film ‘50 shades of Grey’ became a huge box office … Read More
Ash Wednesday 2012For a few years now we have had a fish and chip supper on Shrove Tuesday. We didn’t do it this year because he had that wonderful feast on Saturday night, down at the golf club. We reckoned that two binges in four days would be a bit much – even before Lent! We will in fact have … Read More
