One candle burns at the start of Advent, in St Clement’s Church, Terrington St Clement, a magnificent and pretty church in the Fens, sometimes called the Cathedral of the Fens.
The light shone in to the church as the south windows were filled with the sun’s low rays.
All out of darkness we have light….
A beautiful reminder that Advent is here and Christmas is on it’s way.
So let’s get ready!
Rev’d Sue Martin Diocese of Norwich
Martha Collison, famous now for her charm and delicious baking on The Great British Bake Off has a really enchanting interview with Church Times on 14 November. It’s always the page that I read first, the back page!!
Martha has teamed up with Tearfund and their Big Bake Tournament, the interview shows just how dedicated Martha is to following her call and using her baking skills to support other young people across the world.
She is an activist against child trafficking and makes a very strong argument as to why just has to be recognised and stopped.
Martha is taking a year off from going to University to work with Tearfund and, ‘ to make my self useful’.
What a star! And guess what!’ God,’ she says , ‘Has always been a big part of my life’
Rev’d Sue Martin, Diocese of Norwich
Robin Williams as Peter Pan in Hook – forever an inspiration and joy.
“My family has always been private about our time spent together. It was our way of keeping one thing that was ours, with a man we shared with an entire world. But now that’s gone, and I feel stripped bare. My last day with him was his birthday, and I will be forever grateful that my brothers and I got to spend that time alone with him, sharing gifts and laughter.
He was always warm, even in his darkest moments. While I’ll never, ever understand how he could be loved so deeply and not find it in his heart to stay, there’s minor comfort in knowing our grief and loss, in some small way, is shared with millions. It doesn’t help the pain, but at least it’s a burden countless others now know we carry, and so many have offered to help lighten the load. Thank you for that.
To those he touched who are sending kind words, know that one of his favorite things in the world was to make you all laugh. As for those who are sending negativity, know that some small, giggling part of him is sending a flock of pigeons to your house to poop on your car. Right after you’ve had it washed. After all, he loved to laugh too…
Dad was, is and always will be one of the kindest, most generous, gentlest souls I’ve ever known, and while there are few things I know for certain right now, one of them is that not just my world, but the entire world is forever a little darker, less colorful and less full of laughter in his absence. We’ll just have to work twice as hard to fill it back up again.”
Zelda Williams
Revd Sue Martin – Faithgoeswalkabout
The Mustard Seed
Sixth Sunday after Trinity July 27th 2014
Readings Matthew 13: 31 – 35, 41 – 52. Romans 8
The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.
A mustard seed so tiny and innocuous , but it has an intelligence to become a large plant in a year, to spread and to grow and to produce beautiful flowers.
How though can the kingdom of God be like a mustard seed?
No wonder that the disciples found it hard to follow, a country, a world, a universe like a mustard seed?
The world is a pretty big place. The vastness of the oceans, the great continents and land masses, no-one could say that our world is small. And the universe, well there is something that is so vast it the size is beyond our comprehension.
But is that really so?
To find out more go to Sermons on Faith Goes Walkabout.
Rev’d Sue Martin
Happy Easter!
Alleluia, He is Risen!
Dance then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
They cut me down
And I leap up high;
I am the life
That’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you,if you’ll live in me:
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he:
Rev’d Sue Martin
Chaplain at QE Hospital, Diocese of Norwich
You know that feeling when you have a great idea but the overload of work just weighs you down?
Before that happens, don’t let the idea get squashed…. Build Something you Love!
Thinking about community…
On March 25th our partnership team spent the day with a wonderful group of people, in Canada Water Library, to do just that… Building Something Special. From ideas and concepts to how setting up an organisation in the right framework will benefit the project immensely.
We were working in connection with Church Urban Fund, Near Neighbours and Rev’d Tim Clapton and the people were all connected with Near Neighbours and working as a faith organisation or in connection with faith groups.
What did we discuss? A huge array of the aspects on setting up an organisation, the ethical stance that community projects have at their core, and the passion for supporting and developing people as paramount.
People had come from different communities in London and their set up organisations included;
World of Faith, Clapton/Hackney Gardening, World Beaters, Future 4 All, Alternatives, iiChild, British Rastafari, Community Organising Malawi, VOTY Project, St Mark’s Dalston Junction.
SmithMartin have created www.enterprisingcommunities.today to provide a continual supply of up to date information.
Pleased to support communities.
The library interior…
Shrove Tuesday and Pancake day, when we all have the chance to eat delicious pancakes with our favourite toppings, maple syrup,lemon and sugar, and even Nutella!
A time to be ready for Lent, the six weeks ahead when we spend time in reflection, time to give something up, time to take on something new… but above all to have time for God to find us and for us to find God.
Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, to think, to pray and to get ready for the difficult time ahead. Tempted by the devil, he resisted.
How hard is it for us to actually give something up for just a few weeks, nobody is saying we have too, there is only ourselves to keep the pressure on, and how easy therefore to give in to temptation.
But in Lent we can find ourselves and the true person that God intends us to be.
When I wrote the sermon for the first week in Lent I was in Hong Kong and some of the sermon is in the Lent section on faithgoeswalkabout.
Rev’d Sue Martin
Follow me. The words of Jesus for the fishermen and for us too.
No excuses, like…well I’ll just take the dog home first and then I’ll be back.
Or…Can I make it next year, I have so much on at the moment..
Or… I will follow but it’s going to have to be later this week,. Can you come back next Sunday?
Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John were one day normal Galilean fishermen and the next, they were disciples and later apostles of Jesus, Son of God. Pretty impressive that!
We can all do it too, if we really want too. Follow Him!
See Epiphany on Faithgoeswalkabout
Rev’d Sue Martin
Norwich Diocese
Posada
The Advent journey of Mary and Joseph and their donkey is experienced more and more in our churches and homes.
The tradition of Posada, which began in South America is now taking root in the UK.
Crib figures, representing Mary, Joseph and the donkey travel around a village or town stopping(by arrangement!) where there is a place for them to stay with a warm welcome.
Night after night, the figures are taken from one host home to another; hospitality, the lighting of a candle and a very simple act of worship are shared. There is time to wonder on these amazing overnight guests and to reflect on what Advent really means.
Rev’d Sue Martin
image courtesy of spiritualchild.co.uk
First Sunday of Advent December 1st
Advent literally means ‘ to the coming’ or the ‘arrival’.
Just as it’s getting darker and darker with the nights getting longer and longer, we start thinking about the light of the world;
All out of darkness there came light,…
The light of the world has come among us cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light from the collect.
What does that all mean, darkness, the works of darkness, the armour of light?
The world had been in a place where things were not going well, Isaiah refers to a conversation about how God has become very unhappy about what is happening on earth. No one appeared to be listening to him, so he decides to send his Son.
And now, in Advent, getting ready, thinking about Christmas day and for us as Christians seeking the message that comes with the arrival and birth of Jesus. So what do we do! How do we get ready?
Read more in Advent of Faithgoeswalkabout.org
Rev’d Sue Martin
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