Being thankful, a blog from Dean Sue
As I write this blog the snow has gone and there is a calmness as the sun rises on a beautiful spring morning. As I watch the sun and listen to the birds I am reminded that we have so much to be thankful for, not least God’s creation. Thankfully it is beginning to feel like creation is waking up after the long months of winter.
Liturgically we are beginning to wake up. We are almost half-way through Lent and as we look towards Holy Week and Easter we are given a bit of a rest bite as we approach Mother Sunday on Sunday. Mothering Sunday has become somewhat controversial over the past few years as people grapple with gender stereotypes and the view that the mothering instinct is in all of us.
Historically Mothering Sunday was the time in the year when the young people working in the ‘big house’ were allowed to go home and visit their mothers and attend what become known as the Mother Church. That Mother Church might be the Parish Church or the Cathedral.
The Cathedral has been known as the Mother Church of the Diocese, which for some sets all sorts of hares running, but as we begin to look forward to a new Bishop and a new leadership in the diocese we need to give thanks. Thanks for all that has been and all that is to come.
The Cathedral, like other churches, face many challenges not least spiritual and financial challenges. Those who lead in ministry face the challenges of trying to raise income. They also face the challenge of offering people spaces where they can come and rest in God’s loving care and protection. A huge challenge indeed.
So as we reflect this weekend we do so with thankful hearts. We give thanks: for new life; for Mothers and all those who care for others; for this Diocese and all the Mother Churches including the Cathedral; for all who lead the Church at these challenging times; and for a new Bishop, Bishop John, and the new life he will bring.
Dean Sue