Lambing Service

Lambs and Springtime, New Life and New Beginnings

At a very special new service style we held a Lambing Service at Abbey Farm East Walton in the Lambing Shed on Sunday 20th Feb. at 2.30pm

On this cold winters day we walked through the barns and round the farmyard into the lambing sheds. Wellies were definitely needed and warm coats, scarves and gloves wrapped even the smallest children and toddlers.

And what a wonderful group of people arrived for the service, families, children, grandparents, older couples, young teenagers, and of course the sheep. The ewes with their new born lambs, some with twins, some with triplets and the orphan lambs or kadhi lambs that needed feeding from the bottle.

Farmer Bill had arranged straw bales in front of the expectant ewes so the backdrop for the service and where I was to stand from was surrounded by the sheep – a flock indeed!

In the horsebox at the open shed doors was Rachel with mugs of tea, coffee and hot chocolate, a very welcome touch of warmth.

At the start of the service people were seated on the straw bales and with mugs of steaming hot chocolate in hand. We sang All things bright and beautiful. The sheep were stunned into silence!

I talked about the lambs and new life, signs of spring. Farmer Bill found a very special bucket that the sheep recognised at once. No looking back from this point!
I started to get a little more serious in my talk but was completely drowned out by the sheep behind me who were definitely in the limelight with their loud Baa’s .

Undeterred I continued with the prayers and found that the sheep, now thoroughly getting into the spirit of things were responding with a choral ‘Baa’ at the pauses.

We finished with Morning has Broken and then went on to feed the lambs and have more hot chocolate.

A wonderful way to join together, who needed all the words that I had ready.

The lambs and the sheep said it all, new life and new beginnings in action.

Revd Sue Martin