Dear Friends,
As I write this in the middle of January, the time has flown past not since the beginning of 2025 but since the beginning of the liturgical year back in November. Wouldn’t it be confusing if we started wishing people a happy new year in November instead of January!
The liturgical year starts in November, and we are in year C (a three-year cycle of A, B, C). It starts with Advent, a season where we look forward to the birth of Jesus; this is followed by Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus; then comes Epiphany, where we celebrate the arrival of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, the 3 wise men (Kings); Candlemas follows commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary; Lent, a period of self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, and preparation for Easter. Easter is a period where we celebrate the risen Lord; Pentecost, the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then ordinary time (the bit between easter and advent!) until All Souls Day and another new year.
Already so much has happened in the church this (liturgical) year. At the 8.15am service at Thornfalcon earlier this month Lee spoke about New Year’s Resolutions and how many are not continued. According to a YouGov poll more than a quarter of Britons (27%) say they plan to make New Year’s Resolutions for 2025. The younger the Britons are, the more likely they are to be making an annual promise to themselves, with 52% of 18-24 year olds saying they will do so, compared to only 16% of the over-55s. Of the 27%, over 80% will have already given up on them.
I have not made any resolutions I have instead written a TO DO list of the things I want to achieve in 2025 both in the house and outside. This list will be added to, and deleted from, as I complete the tasks during the year.
Does this list include praying more, attending church more, being a better Christian? The simple answer is no. These are things that I do to the best of my ability already and therefore I do not need to be reminded. But should we be reminded? Should we look more closely at ourselves and the way we go about our daily life?
I believe that we all do as much as we can in our Benefice to “spread the word” and show that we are part of the community. We don’t need to make a resolution about that.
I wish you all a happy new year and we have so much to look forward to: a Lent course, a fun day, the village day, harvest festival, BBQ at the rectory, coffee stop, cream tea and a skittles evening, plus our various church services. Did you know that on the 1st Sunday of each month we have BCP (Book of Common Prayer) communion?
See you somewhere soon.
Bob Pamplin