Sunday before Lent
Following the season of epiphany and the gradual revealing of Jesus as Christ through hints and intimations - a star, a dove, a baptizer's voice in the wilderness, this Sunday we emerge into full sunlight with the transfiguration - blinded as God parts the veil and shows us Christ's majesty. This is the week we understand the glory of Christ - all is clear and God is present.
And it's interesting that this comes the Sunday before Lent - the season in which we enter the wilderness, when we move down from the mountain top into the valleys below, entering a period of repentance and reflection. So is this just a reminder not to forget God's glory during Lent, or is there more to it?
Maybe it's a challenge - to look for God's glory, God's presence, not just on the mountain tops, but to seek it in the valleys too... a challenge to experience God's joy and God's love, not just during times of worship and prayer, but also in the mundane and daily tasks that consume so much of our lives. Perhaps this Sunday, we are challenged to seek God's glory all day, every day - in all we do and in all those we encounter. Clare Heard
Covid 19 (Coronavirus) and Holy Communion
The World Health Organization has declared that this is a public health emergency of international concern. While it is our faith that the sacraments are means of grace and not of sickness, they are physically ministered, and we should take physical care. The advice from the Diocese of London is below:
Do not intinct (eg dip the host in the wine). Because hands can be as much a source of pathogens as lips, intinction is no safer than drinking and can introduce germs into the cup.
Consider receiving Holy Communion in one kind. It is Anglican teaching that to receive the sacrament in one kind only (ie. just the bread) is to receive the sacrament in its entirety. Should a communicant feel ill or not wish to drink from the chalice then he or she ought to receive the consecrated bread alone.
We pray for those infected by Covid 19 in China and around the world, for those who care for them, for health specialists and authorities who are combatting the spread of infection, and of course for all who at this time are feeling anxious, especially for those with friends and family in China.