Dear friends,
I think this is my favourite time of year. It is when all of creation has fully emerged to begin its annual summer flourishing. It is also when many of us go on holiday – before the children are let loose from school – and when the weather is often at its best for us to enjoy. This does seem to be a good time for a celebration – and this June seems to be particularly so. By the time you read this we, at Holy Trinity, will have already celebrated the Ascension with a Eucharist followed by scrumptious strawberries and prosecco!
We will be looking forward to our Jubilee lunch on June 5th which hopefully will be accompanied by the aromas of an outdoor BBQ; and the following week we will mark our Patronal Festival on Trinity Sunday.
In the church there will be a wedding presided over by the recently retired Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry and later in the month I will be taking a wedding at Dundas Castle. Then on June 26th some of us will be travelling down to Norwich Cathedral to celebrate the ordination to the diaconate of Sarah de Bats. What a month!
All of these celebrations mark significant moments in ours or someone else’s lives, and it is important that these events are remembered with acts of thanksgiving, prayer and a party. And why? Because by marking them we are intentionally stopping … pausing … and savouring the day/moment and making memories of a time or event which is often life changing.
We can read in the Old Testament, that God had a way of ‘marking’ the moment. When God promised Noah a new start after the flood a rainbow was placed in the sky … the Israelites were delivered from slavery they were given the celebration of the Passover Feast … and when Abraham received Gods promise of future generations, he took time to build an altar as a physical and long-lasting reminder. And with Jesus, when he gathered his disciples together for that Last Supper, he presented them with bread and wine and said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” What a powerful impact these markers had and continue to have on us and future generations.
In marking important events we make memories, for ourselves as individuals as well as within our community … and in remembering past events and celebrating them together we immerse ourselves in the same joy once again. If it is your birthday this month or you are attending a celebration then do savour the delight it gives, remember how the day feels, and give thanks. And of course, do come along to some/all of our celebrations, and enjoy!
with love, Liz
