Thoughts and reflections

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Papua New Guinea Bishop of Norwich Lent Appeal 2024 The Water of Life

Ten years ago I went to Papua New Guinea on a pilgrimage with the Diocese of Norwich.

Since then I continue to be active in supporting projects to help people in that country. In 2024 we are hoping to raise enough money to supply water tanks for the student accommodation at Newton Theological College. This will bring then freshwater and enable sanitation too.

A great project and to get the appeal started, three of the committee at the Diocese of Norwich PNG Link group, including myself, are presenting a series of talks at Norwich Cathedral Library this Saturday morning.

More info will be posted Saturday afternoon.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Advent 3 Sunrise

I’m going to start with the sunrise! Yesterday morning was absolutely wonderful. I was just getting up about 7.00am and looked outside to see a warm reddish pink glow on the skyline, so I said how lovely it was and continued with my usual ‘getting up’ arrangements.

By 7.30am I was outside  looking at the sky, touched by pinkness on the edge of high clouds.

All out of darkness we have light!

Read more on Advent 2021...

Ascension Day 13th May 2021

Ephesians 1:15-23

Acts 1:1-11

‘A cloud took him out of their sight

And so the disciples were left behind, and returned to Jerusalem. Once again they had to say goodbye to Jesus and were even more aware that they needed to be going out into the world to spread the word.

The cloud often appears in the Bible and can be seen as the way that God appears in a veil of cloud. How often do you stand looking at fluffy white clouds and make them into amorphous shapes?

A cloud took him out of their sight…

This is where the distance between heaven and earth comes close. It is hard to visualise and explain this concept, it can be described as like cutting through paper with a knife and finding yourself in another place, at certain points in our world we can feel closer to God and heaven.

We hope that many of our churches are in such places, but it can also be a place in the countryside or a spot in a town, somewhere where you do feel closer to God.

Read more in Sermons 2021

Easter 2021

We had a balancing act this year shall we church or shall we Zoom?

In the end we did both! We had the Service of Light at 8.00 a.m. in All Saint’s Ashwicken, which is our church in the fields. Set on a hill in Norfolk with primroses, and daffodils throughout the churchyard, it was joy to meet each other( socially distance of course!)  and to share greetings.

By 11.00 a.m. we were live on Zoom! At home and people celebrating Easter, even though they can’t go out.

At least we are on the way to meeting with each other. At least we have some sense of getting through this pandemic, even if it will take time.

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The stone is rolled away, and a new dawn has begun.

Read more on Easter page.

Happy Easter!

Rev’d Sue Martin Diocese of Norwich

The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful.

We have good news! Jesus came to dwell among us.

We have good news! The vaccine is a great success and we are leaders in the world, ready to roll out worldwide.

So let us not be glum! Let us not be dreary! Where is the goodness in being despondent?

Easier said than done, I know.

But this week, so many of us, including myself have had the vaccine . That is truly remarkable and will lead to us getting back together at some stage. Wave if you have had the vaccine! Send a wave through chat if you can! And for those who haven’t yet, it is really getting through to everyone now. How amazing is that!

That is good news and beautiful too.

So let’s get the bad news out of the way and then I can talk about the good news of Jesus coming to dwell with us.

Read more on Sermons 2021

Rev’d Sue Martin

In the beginning…

Source of River Jordan

Source of the River Jordan Caesarea Philippi

In the beginning …

We start the Year of 2021, The Year of New Beginnings. Our readings today in Genesis 11:1-20 and Mark 1: 1-13 are all about beginnings; the beginning of the world, the beginning of Jesus ministry and his baptism.

Chance for a new start for us all in 2021, what shall we do? Do you know I really think this is time for change, change for the better, let’s move forward to a different way of worshipping and looking after God’s world. It certainly is time we should .

Our planet is in trouble, that’s God creation we heard about in Genesis.

Our church is in trouble, that’s God’s church, not enough money, not reaching enough people.

Our neighbours are in trouble, that’s God’s people, both locally and across the world, they need our support.

So let’s make a change in our lives. As we sit back in our homes whilst we can’t go out. Take the time to  think about what changes we would like to see and if we keep trying, they will be possible.

So goodbye 2020 The Year of the Parcel and Welcome 2021 The Year of New Beginnings

Read more on Sermons 2021 

Rev’d Sue Martin

An invisibility cloak! Pentecost

Pentecost, rushing winds, tongues of fire, speaking in different tongues, but how else does the Holy Spirit work?  Where is this Holy Spirit?

It can be rather like an invisibility cloak, you know the one that Harry Potter uses to get about and see things when others can’t see him? Through our own invisibility cloak, of the Holy Spirit,  we can see a world that is beautiful, full of God’s love and in which we can take a real place.  So long as we let the Holy Spirit surround us and come within us we can see a world that is full of richness in spirit and in love.

Without it we see a world full of fear, greed and looking only after our own selves.

How many times  in this lockdown have people shown little acts of kindness, not the great big things but the odd word in the street, across the road, a phone call, a card through the post, collecting the shopping for others, and the list goes on. In our own village in Norfolk, a new group helps others who have to stay at home and are vulnerable. Truly a good thing to do.

Pope Francis in his recent address says Vene, Spirito Santo, Come Holy Spirit.

 

Read more in Sermons 2020…

Rev’d Sue Martin

 

VE Day 8th May 2020

VE Day 2020

The silence that says it all…

The lives lost, the lives changed, the lives that would never be the same again.

Seventy-five years on we remain united in isolation, glorious in survival, and thankful for all that we have received.

Because of bravery, courage, determination and spirit we can go forward with joy in our hearts.

Father, we give thanks, we hold honour and strength in our hearts and we let the Holy Spirit work within us to show that same love for each other and our world.

Rev’d Sue Martin

The Upper Room

The Upper Room is to this day, an inconspicuous space along a quiet street in Jerusalem. The windows  are hardly noticeable on the first floor next to some dangling electric cables. Jerusalem normally bustles with people, but in these days of lock down it is a quiet and eerie street.

The disciples had returned to the Upper Room in secret, and Jesus was with them for a short time, and showed them his side and feet.But Thomas, was not there and he could not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Jesus did return, then Thomas believed. There is much more to this story and it can be found in John 20, verses 19-29.

I am intrigued though with  the secrecy of the Upper Room and gathering there without the authorities knowing. In our isolation world at the moment, we have become aware of being fearful, to know that going out is a risk, to know that there may be people watching us. This is so strange and I am reminded this morning from our Sunday readings just how powerful it is to be isolated.

And yet, like Thomas, many of us do go out and do the essentials, the shopping, the daily exercise, maybe a visit at 2 metres distance to a vulnerable person. I delivered a birthday card to Pearl yesterday, aged 88. The notice at the back door said,” Please knock on the lounge window, I would love to see you.” So I did that and we stood 2 metres apart and had a chat. “How good to have a chat!” said Pearl.

We don’t know what Thomas was  doing, and sometimes he is perceived as doubting Thomas just because he wasn’t there. He was just being very realistic though.

Maybe he too had just been out for some essentials. Don’t judge him too harshly

 

Rev’d Sue Martin

Carol Service in Deepest Norfolk

Window lights in

On a dark and dreary night one week before Christmas, in deepest West Norfolk, I walked along the lane, covered with mud from the fields.

As I turned into the church entrance the windows were lit up with a warm glow from within.  This was a warm welcome to St Mary’s Church.

I was leading the carol service that evening and along with my robes, bag and service sheets, I had assorted necessary items; spare bottle of mulled wine and 12 mince pies.

Opening the creaking door, I immediately felt the warmth from the coal fired boiler, glowing red in the corner; beautiful singing was coming from the a small choir.

“Hello,” said Bill, the churchwarden and farmer.

And I knew that St Mary’s Church, would remain my favourite place for a Carol Service.

“We have 6 bottles of mulled wine, dozens of mince pies and shortbread, all we need now are the people. said Bill.

“I’m sure we will be fine”, I answered in that reassuring way of a vicar!!  And we were.

The creaking door continued to groan at every entrance and people stepped in out of the wet and cold,  joining us with chatter and laughter.

We began singing Once in Royal David’s City. After an hour of listening to the story of Christmas, singing the well known carols, dreaming of the good news that Christmas and Jesus will bring we gathered at the back of the church to share in fellowship with each other. And of course to eat a considerable quantity of mince pies and mulled wine.

Christmas can start once the carols are sung, the readings are read and we are ready to share with families and friends the good news that Jesus came down from heaven.

Rev’d Sue Martin

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