Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Seasons

It is nearly spring!!!! I am very ready for the clocks to spring forward, I am looking forward to lighter nights, warmer days and a good dose of natural vitamin D. This winter has felt long, we have had rainy days, many dark days and not so many of the bright, cold days that many of us love.  You may or may not be a fan of the summer heat (when we get it), but I am sure, like me, you are looking forward to brighter days and evenings. Sunlight can completely alter my mood; a short walk outside, or even just sitting in the garden with a book in the rare moments I have time, can totally alter the course of my thinking and my route for the day.

I find the natural seasons are also important as they help give rhythm and order to our lives. While I am looking forward to the lighter nights, it is also quite nice in autumn to know we can put the fire on, light some candles and be cosy. It’s also great as we move towards Christmas to have the traditions that lead us into that season. I find comfort and familiarity in the rhythm of the seasons. When I was younger, I spent 6 months in India working with a Christian mission organisation. I left the UK in the winter and came back in the summer. When I arrived home, I was surprised at how much I had missed the spring season: the blossom appearing on the trees, the daffodils and tulips and the sounds of the lawn mowers with the first lawn cut of the season.

Seasons in the church are also important. We are coming towards the end of Lent and entering into the season of Easter. This is a time to reflect on who Jesus is and what he did on the cross; it is the celebration of the life he invites us to with him. I find the Good Friday service at my church always very poignant and powerful and then I love the atmosphere of celebration on Easter morning.

Seasons are also a part of our personal and work lives. Maybe at the moment you are in a Good Friday season, perhaps a time of reflection or, as was the case for many who were at the crucifixion, a time of sadness and despair. Maybe you are in an Easter morning season, a time of joyful celebration.

Or maybe you are feeling like Jesus did when he left his disciples to pray (and I suspect possibly for some peace and quiet), needing some time to be alone to be with his Father.  I imagine for many of us, it is a bit of a mixture, especially when we throw in being tired at the end of a particularly busy term.

For those that are perhaps experiencing a difficult season, Psalm 30:5 gives us hope that it will not last forever. It lets us know that the pain we may feel now will be replaced with joy. It reminds us that, just as the earth follows its natural seasons and the church follows its spiritual ones, our own personal seasons will ebb and flow.

A time for everything

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak

Ecclesiastes 3:1-7

from Lynsey Norris, Assistant Director of Education