FWIW The musings of a webmaster Sunday 18 March 2007 What's this?

House of the rising sun

On Wednesday morning I watched the sun rise.

This wasn't a leisurely contemplation of the new day being born. As I was heading north on the M5 at the time it was a case of glancing to my right periodically to follow its progress from a red line appearing on the horizon, through a glowing rosy disc, to all the glory of a dazzling gold that set about burning the shroud of mist off the fields.

As the sun rose so did my spirits.

I should watch the sun rise more often. The experience is rich with promise. The wonder of the experience is pure gift.

Another event that is proving to be pure gift is our weekly Lent group at St. Andrew's. It is a real joy to welcome members of both St. Peter's and All Saints churches to these Tuesday evening meetings, to share fellowship, and to get to know each other a little better. The evenings commence with a simple act of worship and, after refreshments, we share discussion based around Katharine's book "The Way of the Cross". I have been struck by the insights that have come out of these discussions, and the generosity with which people listen to each other and share their own thoughts. The discussions are gently and sensitively guided by Revd. David Fayle from All Saints church, and I feel that there is the beginning of a bond forming between the 18 or so people who are attending from these 3 churches.

At a time when we are without a priest of our own, this walk through Lent with friends from other churches in our Local Ministry Group is proving a great blessing for those of us at St. Andrew's.  It is a wonderful example of how 'LMGs' can, at their best, be a source of support and nurture. I can only hope that our guests from St. Peter's and All Saints are finding blessing in equal measure.

As Christians, we all need our sunrises, both real and metaphorical.  Sometimes church life can feel oppressive, quotidian, lacking warmth and colour. So when we experience the start of a sunrise in a group like this, we would be wise to accept it as the gift it is, and enjoy the growth that it inspires in us individually and as a community. We pray that others will be attracted by the strengthening glow.

On Wednesday, almost exactly twelve hours after my sunrise experience, I headed south on the M5. The sun was just setting in the west in a rich red glow.

At the same time, for someone somewhere, it was sunrise.

Blessings from all of us at St. Andrew's and in our Local Ministry Group.