April 2019

A letter from a member of the congregation at St Martin’s

Dear All,

First a mention of the Family Service on St Patrick’s Day, 17thMarch at St Martin’s with the theme being “Let’s Go Green”. It was a lively celebration of all things green, including recycling and living in an eco-friendly way. The service had to a large extent been put together by the children themselves and it was lovely to see the enthusiasm and keenness of the many children taking part. Adults could learn a thing or two as well!

“Oh, to be in England now that April’s here”! So wrote Robert Browning in his Home-thoughts from abroad. How true! We, who live in this pleasant corner of Hertfordshire are indeed fortunate, surrounded as we are with a gentle, rolling landscape of fields and woodland.

April is the month when plant growth is ‘taking off’ in earnest and we are witnessing a form of resurrection all around us. The season of Lent, which began on Ash Wednesday 6thMarch leads us towards Easter. It is the journey to the cross and ultimately to the resurrection of Christ three days later. A journey often requires a map or a reliable satnav to help us reach our destination. There are plenty of ‘maps’ to help us on our spiritual journey through Lent. One of them is the Parish Lent Course on Wednesday afternoons called “Who is the Christ?”

It helps us to explore different aspects of Christ’s character and to see from a fresh perspective who He really is. The titles of each session reflect some aspects of the nature and character of Jesus  and what they mean  for us and for our world today. Attributes like “The Builder”,” The Humble King”,” Holy King” and “The Harvester” are all applicable to Jesus and there is so much that we can learn from studying them in detail and which will  also help us to know Him better.

Do come along if this is the “map” you are looking for to guide you on your journey to Easter!

Best wishes,
Meta