Abbots Langley Methodist Church
Magazine
February 2008

FROM THE MANSE

from Revd. Gill Hulme

I was looking back on what I wrote this time last year (hoping not to repeat myself!) and I opened with ‘ Easter is early this year, and so obviously is Lent,’ . Well this year it is even earlier with Ash Wednesday on the 6 th February, two weeks earlier than 2007.

It seems that no sooner have we packed away the Christmas things then its time to think of Lent. I’m reminded of Ann Lewin’s poem that was quoted at the joint Epiphany service ‘He’s grown that baby’. The poem goes on to say that some people try to keep Jesus as the cute baby in the manger, and put Him away with the Christmas decorations, not thinking about Him until next year. Keeping Christ as the baby of course means that we are not challenged by Jesus the man. The person who turned the world upside down, who caused a mini riot in the temple, who annoyed the establishment so much that they decided to dishonour and kill him, is disempowered if in our minds he remains as ‘little Lord Jesus no crying he makes’.

Because, if we keep Christ as a baby, we are not being transformed by His sacrificial love, and we miss out on that adult relationship, the life in all its fullness that God has prepared for us. As adults we need to wrestle with difficult issues, with grief and doubts, so that we may grow as Christians.

I think this is rather similar to the way in which we may view the Lord’s prayer. The danger is that because most of us learnt the Lord’s prayer as a child, it retains for us childish overtones. I wonder how often, as adults, do we stop and think about what we are saying when we pray this prayer?

There is so much in it, every phrase packed with meaning, and some phrases quite difficult to pray if we stop and think, and yet we so often rattle our way through it, lulled by its familiarity, its rhythm and familiar phrasing.

This Lent, Churches Together in Abbots Langley is going to be studying the Lord’s Prayer, in small house groups, using the York Courses. We are going to be led by some excellent (and accessible) theologians and public speakers, including Dr David Hope, Canon Margaret Sentamu, Bishop Kenneth Stevenson, Dr David Wilkinson and Dr Elaine Storkey. ( I have to confess that they will be on CD and not there in person though!) And we will be looking at what it means to pray, mean and live the prayer we are so familiar with.

Watch out for further details and sign up lists for the study groups. We expect to have enough local leaders available to have a choice of evening and day time groups, so hopefully there will be one that suits you.

Every blessing

Text for March

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew Ch 5, v 5