From the Rector - May 2025

Revd Ralph Williamson - Rector

New Life

 In March I wrote about making a delayed New Year’s Resolution - to plant a flowerbed. It was a rash thing to commit to in print, as resolutions (and my own resolution) can so easily fail. As the weeks passed, endless winter colds and all the other things which needed doing made it seem less and less possible. But when two clear days appeared, I took the plunge, ordered a lorry load of soil and compost, and I got out my spade. Removing the turf on top of the stony ground and relocating it to another spot was the hardest part, and the tendons in my arm still hurt, but I persevered, and two days later a pristine (but empty) flowerbed, six metres long and a metre wide, was ready for planting. Days later I did the fun bit, burying things in the waiting soil. And after just a few weeks, new life is now appearing in the flowerbed. Tentative shoots and tiny pairs of first leaves are breaking the surface, and elsewhere in the garden the rhubarb plant which I presumed to be dead has also decided to offer tiny crumpled leaves towards the light. I now have hope that quite soon I will see the multicoloured flowering and fruiting of what was planted.

The church has just celebrated our great festival of Easter, and one of my favourite hymns is, ‘Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain’. The drama of new life in the spring accompanies our celebration of Christ’s resurrection, and assures us that we are included in his death and eternal life. That which was buried in the cold ground emerges alive after the death of winter. Christ laid in the tomb is raised to eternal life which conquers death. And we, often cold and dark, lifeless or dry, are also kindled to new life by the love of God. This is the great miracle of transformation which takes place within the hearts and minds of those who come to know God’s love for them in Jesus Christ. May the warmth of his love raise us, may the fulness of God’s life fill us, and may the power of the resurrection flower and fruit in our lives, bringing joy, beauty and new life to us and to others.