Yesterday I was leading worship at a little village called Skillington. The old chapel stands at the top of a hill, in the centre of the village and overlooking the village green. An idyllic picture.
Mothering Sunday is always a special time as we recognise and honour the mothers amongst us. Our worship was tuneful and joyous and blessed by the presence of two delightful children, in a chapel that is usually without children on Sundays. The two girls, sisters aged three and two , handed out flowers to the ladies present and the three year old (adorably cute) sang a song about Jonah and the Whale, using the microphone and with no trace of nerves.
Such a joy!

My first ever complete sermon seemed to be well-received this morning. Topic of perseverance, keeping on to the end, even when you can't see the final outcome.
Standing behind the pulpit meant my knocking knees were not on display!
When I first read the lectionary readings for today, I immediately thought of an old Harry Lauder song that my grandad used to sing.
"Keep right on to the end of the road" and I used this to weave the sermon together. The final lines of the chorus are:
"Tho' you're tired and weary, still journey on,
Till you come to your happy abode,
Where all the love you've been dreaming of
Will be there at the end of the road."
The perfect description of our faith journey!

Heavy snow overnight has meant that the service in the village chapel where I was to preach this morning, has been cancelled.
"Lent" is a Teutonic word meaning "Spring," but there has been nothing Spring-like about the weather so far!
I had not listened to a weather forecast so was unprepared for the white carpet that greeted me this morning. I actually gasped with surprise.
Being astonished made me think how God so often does things that take us by surprise. The most astonishing being the Incarnation. Who would have expected such a wonderful, astonishing gift!

It has been quite some time since I have had the opportunity to update the blog. Several days in Rome were followed by a very busy day at the church yesterday. Friendship Club was entertained by a musical group called "Collage" and this was followed by lunch.
This morning I am reflecting on the Lenten season and entering into the wilderness with Jesus. Holding my life up to God for scrutiny.
This Sunday, the first in Lent (Temptation Sunday) I will be leading the service at one of the Circuit's village chapels and delivering my first sermon there on Temptation and its relationship to faith.
As a Lenten discipline I am also joining the brothers and sisters of the Anglican Dominicans in studying and reflecting upon the Nine Ways of Prayer of St Dominic. Dominic was a man for whom praying came first. He used his whole physical presence in his prayer life. Every part of him was united to God in prayer. It is my desire to enter more fully into a prayer life that embraces the physical as well as the spiritual.

I have had an interesting couple of days listening to the business of the General Synod of the Church of England, streamed by Premier Christian Media.
The highlight today was the Presidential Address given by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
One thing that stood out to me was the assertion that unity was not above integrity, but that unity leads to Christian integrity. Maybe the Anglican Communion needs its own Pope to be a central, executive figure of authority?
So much talk of division and schism can only be detrimental for the Communion in the long run.

Last weekend saw the sixth anniversary of the new building that is our local Methodist Church.
There has been a church on this plot for many years. It started as a tin hut, then a brick building. By the grace of God, the church family grew so much that a new building was needed to seat the congregation.
The new Harrowby Lane Church is also a Community Centre and has excellent facilities, including meeting rooms, hall, internet cafe and fantastic kitchen and hall, all under one roof.
This year we celebrated the anniversary by having a day of teaching on discipleship, mission and service. The day was led by Revd Dr Pete Phillips from CODEC at Durham University. We had a wonderful day and the teaching was fully interactive and Pete made use of video clips and other media too. We all left feeling renewed and motivated!
On Sunday Rev Phillips preached at the morning service and gave us a strong message that was particularly relevant to the situation the church finds itself in at the present time. During the service there was an opportunity for people to re-commit theirlives to God and his work. Virtually the whole congregation came forward to do so. God is at work, make no mistake about it!

I am pleased to report that the Anglican Dominican Order of Preachers is growing!
One more Formation House has recently opened, with another one planned for after Easter.
God is working in the Order - evidenced by the numbers of people showing interest and numbers of seekers who are prepared to make a commitment.
The Dominican Mission is an active one. We are a dispersed Order and, like the early Dominicans, we are sent out to heal and to preach, and to bless those we meet. The Dominican infinitives - To Praise, To Bless, To Preach become imperatives in our lives.
The early church lived with a sense of urgency, they felt there was little time to spread the Good News. Early disciples fully expected the Second Coming within their lifeimes and they were charged to spread the news of the Kingdom to as many people as possible before that time. The harvest was plentiful but the workers were few! Today, we have to a great extent become complacent - I am not sure our church congregations are expecting the Parousia any time soon.
The reality is that the mission to spread the Good News is as important and as urgent as it was in the first century and it is wonderful that there are people hearing the call to go out, in humility, and make God's love manifest in small acts of service and kindness in the many and varied communities to which we have been sent.
To God be the glory!