Friday 21st February 17:45  

w/c Sunday Feb 23rd 2025

Dear Friends,

The Church of England’s Lent theme for 2025 is Living Hope.
In Lent we journey with Jesus on the difficult and thorny road that leads all the way to the cross on Good Friday – and beyond, to the transformation of Easter Day.
God invites us to bring to him our own journey through everyday life.
In the disappointment of daily setbacks and the pain of deeper hurts, we discover that God is present with us.
And God promises a future where all things are healed and made new.  
Living Hope offers us the opportunity to deepen our hope in God and be part of what God is doing to bring hope in the world.

There are daily Reflections to read for each day during Lent, and I would encourage you to sign up to receive the reflections directly to your email – https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/what-we-believe/lent-holy-week-and-easter/living-hope-lent-reflections.

Our ecumenical Mission Community Lent Course on this theme will run on Tuesdays at 10am at St Lukes, and on Wednesdays at 2pm at South Brent Methodist church room (following the Lent lunch there) starting on 11^th/12^th March. 
All are very welcome as we explore this important issue together.

Thought for the week  Luke 8:22-25

This week’s gospel is the story of Jesus calming the storm on the lake.
We read of the disciples panicking as a storm erupts as they were trying to cross the lake to the other side .
Jesus meanwhile is sleeping peacefully – its reassuring to know that Jesus got tired in the middle of the day and needed a nap!
It is a reminder of His humanity just as we are about to see His divinity revealed.
The disciples come to Him in fear they are about to drown.
They knew they needed help and in the simple act of waking Him up there is trust – Jesus was present and could do something.  
I have no idea what they thought He could do and am sure it wasn’t what He actually did – to calm the storm.
The disciples have what they asked for – the storm is calmed, but now they are confused.

We might ask – what did the disciples think would happen? But we have the benefit of hindsight in our ability to connect Jesus who speaks words over creation as the very word of creation in Genesis.
The disciples were yet to make that connection.  It’s like that with us sometimes.
We find ourselves calling out to God in difficult situations, sometimes asking for a very particular response, sometimes with no idea what we are asking for.
And so often the response we get is not the one we asked for or could ever have imagined or expected.

Life can be overwhelming and sometimes we feel like the disciples that we can’t cope, that all is lost. We look around at our world and wonder where God is in it all.
We pray faithfully that something will change but feel as though Jesus is fast asleep and unaware of the chaos and issues.

We might feel as if we want to give up and wait for the inevitable, to lose our hope.
Or we can trust that Jesus’ very presence is enough – that He is in overall control.
That though all the storms thrashing around us, He can bring calm in the midst of chaos, hope in times of uncertainty,  as He walks with us through the storms of life.

Notices and Diary

• South Brent Mothers’ Union a Soup and Pudding lunch on Thursday 27^th Feb in the church room from 12pm. We are raising funds for AFIA -away from it all, an MU project.
• Littlehempston Coffee Morning from 10.30- 12 on Thursday 27th 
• On the 1^stMarch at 12.30pm in Exeter Cathedral, the Mariposa Trust are holding a special Baby loss remembrance and support service – Saying Goodbye.
• Ivybridge Youth for Christ Quiz Saturday 22 March 7 – 9.30pm at Ivybridge Watermark

£10 per person, teams of up to 6. Details: admin@ivybridge.yfc.co.uk  or 07966 911560

• Invitation to be Confirmed at Exeter Cathedral Sunday 11th May, 10am. Please let Rev Gina know if you are interested in being confirmed then. Find out more about confirmation.

Wed 26th Feb               St Petroc’s Morning Prayer at 8.30am

                                    Thought for the week at 10am by zoom and telephone

                                    St Petroc’s Funeral at 2pm (Diane Reed)

Thurs 27^th Feb               Littlehempston Coffee morning 10.30-12

                                    South Brent MU Soup and Pudding from 12pm

Fri 28th Feb                  Morning Prayer at 9am by zoom and telephone

                                    Littlehempston PCC at 3.30pm

 Know you are in my heart and in my prayers.
Rev Gina