From the Minister

     April 2025                                                           

Lent by Jean M Watt.

Lent is a tree without blossom, without leaf,
Barer than blackthorn in its winter sleep,
All unadorned. Unlike Christmas which decrees
The setting-up, the dressing-up of trees,
Lent is a taking down, a stripping bare,
A starkness after all has been withdrawn
Of surplus and superfluous,
Leaving no hiding-place, only an emptiness
Between black branches, a most precious space
Before the leaf, before the time of flowers;
Lest we should see only the leaf, the flower,
Lest we should miss the stars.

This poem is one from my favourite Lent book; The heart’s time by Janet Morley.  It fascinated me because it looks at Lent and at the bare winter trees from a new perspective.  Instead of seeing bare branches as barren and lifeless the poem directs us to the stars which can be seen between the branches as a sign of light and hope.

It stuck me whilst reflecting on this poem that there are many things we can reflect on from different perspectives, seeing either positive or negative, but often it is important that we hold the balance of both.  The cross is one such thing and this becomes particularly relevant as we approach Holy Week and Easter and see so many different images of the cross on Easter cards and church posters. 

Sometimes our images focus on the suffering of Jesus – carved crucifixes showing the figure of Christ twisted and in pain – and it is important that we remember the reality of the suffering and that Jesus stands alongside us in our own.  However we need to be able to look beyond to see the hope that resurrection brings.

Other images dress the cross in Spring flowers as a sign of joy and new life and this has as much to teach us as the crucifix as we remember that it is the cross that brings us life and hope.  However it is important to remember that the cross does not start as a thing of beauty, but as the place that Jesus died for us.  When we remember both the reality of Jesus suffering and the joy of the resurrection then we get the full picture of Easter and we know that Jesus is both alongside us in our earthly struggles and calling us on to the hope that comes through his resurrection.

Perhaps this way of seeing the cross from two perspectives can teach us about the way we view events in our lives too.  Maybe it can help us to acknowledge our suffering when times are hard and to stand alongside others who are suffering in true empathy.  But maybe it also reminds us that, strengthened by our hope in the risen Christ, we can look beyond the bare branches in our lives to see the stars which shine in every season.

Easter Blessings.

Ruth.