And in July?
What will July bring?
As I sit writing this article in preparation for the July edition of the magazine, I can’t help but wonder what July will bring. Will it be a warmer and drier month than June? Will it be a good season for those whose businesses rely on an influx of happy holidaymakers? Will farmers reap good crops? Time, of course, will tell, but my question made me think about expectations and our response to them.
From what I have learned over the years, expectations shape the way we see the world. They influence how we wait, how we respond to disappointment and how we end up seeing ourselves. Unmet expectations can feel like failure, silence, or rejection. We may pray for healing, change, reconciliation, or clarity, and yet the answer does not come in the way we hoped. In those moments, faith does not require us to pretend we are not disappointed. We bring our confusion to God because we believe he is still present, still good, and still listening.
Oops...
We all make mistakes...
For those in the know, I made a mistake last month when I provided the dates for the forthcoming Mission Community Morning Prayer. Instead of listing Tuesdays of the month, I confused everyone and sent the dates for Mondays in May instead. It was only when a kind, confused Churchwarden noticed the error that I realised what I had done. Therefore, please accept my apologies; however, it made me reflect on my error and, indeed, my fallibility as a human being.
The famous line, “To err is human, to forgive, divine,” was written by the English poet Alexander Pope in 1711. It appears in his poem An Essay on Criticism, which highlights the human tendency to make mistakes and contrasts it with the divine nature of forgiveness.
Joyful Chorus
The Dawn Chorus
Surely one of the most beautiful aspects of spring is the incredible variety of birdsong. According to the Woodland Trust, the dawn chorus is at its best between the months of March and July, with its peak during May and June. If you are awake, the first tentative songs begin about an hour before sunrise with Robins, Blackbirds, and Thrushes. Pre-dawn singers include Wood Pigeons, Wrens, and Warblers, with Great Tits, Blue Tits, Sparrows, and Finches joining in only when it becomes light enough for them to see.
Of course, the chorus is all about defending territory and raising young, with the singing coming typically from male birds. Who knew that it takes quite a bit of energy to stand there and sing your heart out? Consequently, only the strongest birds succeed in winning over females and securing the best nesting sites.
New Life
As winter releases its grip, the landscape breaks into vibrant life,
April in the United Kingdom is a month where the physical world mirrors the deepest spiritual truths of the Christian Faith. As winter releases its grip, the landscape breaks into vibrant life, offering a powerful backdrop for the central message of Christianity – resurrection and new life!
Famously, as the saying goes, we have April showers, although perhaps this year we don’t need too many of those before the blooms of May appear.
Of course, for Christians, this April is dominated by Holy Week and Easter, festivals that serve as yearly reminders of the cornerstone of faith. Following the solemnity and personal reflection of Lent, the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday brings an explosion of joy and hope, something sorely needed in the present times with the war in the Middle East and spiralling fuel and energy prices.
It's time for Spring to Spring
The spring equinox takes place when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither towards the sun nor away from it.
As I sit and write on another gloomy day in February, I cannot help looking forward to March and the meteorological beginning of spring on the first, St David’s Day. All around me is the evidence of the new life waiting to burst from the earth as daffodils, crocus and even primroses defy the wind and the rain. Spring traditionally begins, though, on the Vernal Equinox, which this year falls on 20th March.
The word ‘Equinox’ comes from the Latin, combining the words equi, (equal) and nox, (night). The spring equinox takes place when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither towards the sun nor away from it, giving the impression that day and night last for an equal amount of time.
Equinoxes take place simultaneously in the northern and southern hemispheres, but with the seasons reversed. So, whilst we ring in the spring this March, those south of the equator will be entering astronomical autumn.