Yesterday we celebrated the great feast of Candlemas and drew to a close our season reflecting on the incarnation of Christ. We have spent the last 50 days thinking through what it means to be a follower of Christ and how the birth of Jesus invites us into a way of understanding God’s love which transforms our lives forever.
The feast of Candlemas and the procession with candles from the altar to the font reminds us that it is through our common baptism, and also through our travelling with the light of Christ, that we are drawn together as a transformed and transformative community.
In a short time we shall be moving on to the season of Lent and our exploration of what it means to follow Christ in the context of our own weakness and vulnerability. But for now, may we reflect on Candlemas and help others to see the light of Christ in their own lives and find ways of renewing our commitment to the vocation to which we have each been called.
Canon Christopher Burke
It was a great joy this week to join with many folk from across our Diocese, as well as from the community here at the Cathedral, to celebrate the consecration of Pete Wilcox as a bishop.
There are times when it seems we are faced with genuine difficulty and the only response we can offer is to pray.
One great early teacher of the Christian faith, Gregory from Nazianzus in Turkey, said that there are only two ways to God, "journeying outwards, and journeying inwards."
Next Sunday we will be processing from the Cathedral after the morning service, up Fargate, to join with the other city centre churches for a short service at the cross beside the Town Hall.
If nothing else the last few weeks have reminded the Church of England of some of the many areas where it has found it difficult to gather agreement.
As we give thanks for our new Bishop and our new Bell, let us pray that we may also have the courage to share the good news of Jesus in our communities and across this diocese.