Thoughts and reflections

Category: Lent

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

Prayers at Lent 2022

Time for Reflection… Sunset at Old Hunstanton beach, West Norfolk, Feb 2022

Lent is a time for reflection and making some changes to lifestyle.

Generally, for me that means giving up chocolate. But I don’t actually eat that much chocolate anymore, so it seemed like the easy way out!

Instead of or as well as I have returned to a project that I did a few years ago.. adding a prayer for every day of Lent. In 2022, this seems the least I can do or rather the most I can do to have any real benefit to this strange time in 2022.

On Prayers page I am adding prayers for us all, prayers for reflection and prayers for peace in Ukraine.

Spend a moment and read one or two of the prayers, or maybe it will lead you to write and share a prayer of your own.

Rev’d Sue Martin

Visit to The Holy Land in Lent 2020

As the winter continues I am delighted that I am about to embark on my second visit to the Holy Land. We arrive at the Sea of Galilee on February 24th and  have a full itinerary for the week including;  Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho and the Dead Sea.

Really excited to be not just revisiting but re-energising my understanding of the life of Jesus, visiting the same places and walking in his footsteps. Spiritually it will touch my soul, physically  it will give me great hope as I visit further places in my pilgrimages and travel journeys. The Dead Sea has been a place I have wanted to visit since I learnt about it at school.

Physically,the whole region is set on the edge of the Mediterranean and Europe and the edge of the Middle East and Africa. Never a very settled area of the world. The Dead Sea is at the end of the deepest valley in the world, with the River Jordan flowing through this rift valley.

So, now to start planning the next Blog  for the journey ahead.

Rev’d Sue Martin

 

Lent Course, A Journey to the Holy Land

 

As part of our discovery about our own journeys we are looking at parts of the Holy Land; Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Sacred places, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, 2000 years on in our own time with changes and challenges but still a deep sense of God’s presence.

The Holy Land is the place in which Jesus grew up and carried out his ministry. It is an area about the size of Wales, although it has many different parts.

Physically it is set on the edge, the edge of the Mediterranean and Europe, the edge of The Middle East and Africa.

The valley of the River Jordan is a rift valley and is the deepest valley in the world. It develops from the Sea of Galilee and continues to the Dead Sea. Further south it reaches the Red Sea.

It is featured many time in the Old and New Testament. It continues to this day to be a place of friction and war.

Read more at Lent Course 2019 as the journey evolves over four weeks in Lent

Rev’d Sue Martin

Moments of Joy

Moment of joy are uplifting snapshots of wonder and amazement. They happen without any planning, divine timing maybe?

I was watching a David Attenborough programme where the camerman was poised above the blue ocean on a flimsy looking construction. He was filming albatross birds and described a moment of joy when birds flew together.

My moments of joy were this week at Shipdham church in Norfolk, talking about Papua New Guinea and remembering the swim in the South Pacific with the manta rays!

Rev’d Sue Martin

Joy to the World

From Papua New Guinea to England, there is joy in every place. Sometimes we just do not see it!

At a community school, where all the staff are volunteers and life is quite hard, the chair of governors welcomes our pilgrimage from Diocese of Norwich in 2015, with joy and happiness in her smile.

Sometimes we just do not recognise the happiness and joy in our lives. So let’s go out there and spread the joy!

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.

Psalm 24, verse 1

Bishop’s Lent Appeal, Norwich Diocese is to Simbai in Papua New Guinea

Rev’d Sue Martin

Joy in Lent

Kalpana, brothers and sisters in the Himalayas. We support them.

Lent is a time for reflection and for giving things up. But why can’t it also be a time for joy!

This year as part of a Lent Reflection I will be posting about joy.

 

Joy can be seen all around us, it is infectious and children share it very easily.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy. It is for all the people“.  Luke 2, verse 10.

What better news could there be.

Joy, happiness and blessings in abundance.

Rev’d Sue Martin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome, Warriors and Worship

m_Image 1Papua New Guinea is 0.6 degrees south of the equator. It is an Oceanic country just to the north of NE Australia, with offshore islands in Melanesia in the South West Pacific Ocean.

It is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world with 848 languages. It’s 7 million people live in mainly rural populations and in the few towns and cities. The country is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire and there are earthquakes and active volcanoes. It is surrounded by coral reefs and in the highlands there are dense rainforest and a rugged terrain across the mountains, the highest of which is Mt Willhelm at 4,509 metres.

Our pilgrims in 2015 came from 3 countries and 3 dioceses. Norwich Diocese in the Uk, Waiapu in New Zealand and Rockhampton in Queensland Australia.

We journeyed together as pilgrims in anticipation of what was ahead in this far away place, certain that we those we would meet, would share our love of God.

How would it work with warriors? How would we be worshiping and what kind of welcome awaited us?

Rev’d Sue Martin

Faithgoeswalkabout.org/papuanewguinea

Diocese of Norwich

Lent 2016

m_IMG_0378Lent is a church season after Epiphany and marks the time when Jesus went into the wilderness before returning to Jerusalem and eventually into the Easter story.

The time for Jesus to be alone, with only God by his side. He faced many difficulties and problems, he met with hunger and thirst, he met with the devil at his back, he knew what lay ahead for his time on earth.

But still he continued and lay down his life for us.

So, what do we do today to mark Lent, to acknowledge the season and be at least aware of all that we are given. There are many Lent courses, which can lead you into a path of understanding and a journey towards Easter.

This year our Diocese of Norwich has a Lent Appeal to raise money and awareness of Papua New Guinea and specifically to raise money for a school called Christ the King in 8 Mile Settlement in Port Moresby.

In September last year I was fortunate to be part of a pilgrimage to Papua New Guinea and it was a life changing experience. A country where 98% of the population are Christians, mainly from Anglican, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. The Norwich Diocese has strong links with Papua New Guinea through their first bishop and subsequent bishops.

For now, please look at the Lent Appeal in Norwich and also visit my blog on faithgoeswalkabout.papuanewguinea.It will give you some initial information.

My intention is that I will write a blog entry every week about Papua New Guinea and a prayer for every day. I hope you enjoy reading this and understanding the links with Lent, in reflection, in wilderness, and in dreams for mankind.

Rev’d Sue Martin    Norwich Diocese

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