A Reflection by Fr. Gareth Ingham
Many of us at this time of year may be thinking, ‘Where on earth has January gone?’ The festivities of Christmas and New Year feel almost like a distant memory. The new month is upon us and with an early Easter on the horizon, it can feel like we are on a runaway train.
So, let’s take a breather. The couple of weeks before the start of Lent is an opportunity to step back and consider where we are. At Christmas we celebrated the incarnation, the birth of Jesus, the Word of God coming amongst us in the flesh and blood of our humanity.
As the weeks of the Epiphany season progressed, the mystery of the Christ Child was revealed to us, reflected in the stories that we shared from the scriptures. The coming of the wise men following the star from the east. Searching for the Messiah, the anointed one and bringing gifts fit for a king.
Followed by the Baptism of Christ in the river Jordan, when the disciples ‘saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”’ As a response to this story, we thought a little about how we are called by God to walk in the way of Christ.
Then we arrived at the Wedding in Cana and the miraculous turning of water into wine. An event that the writer of the Gospel, St John the Evangelist, calls a sign. A sign that points directly to who Jesus is.
This Sunday’s reading is an echo of the Gospel we heard at Christmas. As we turn our attention to the beginning of Lent and the journey to the Cross, it’s good that we have a couple of weeks to ponder where we are, and who has been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
Fr. Gareth Ingham – Priest in Charge
The Benefice of CRIFTINS with DUDLESTON and WELSH FRANKTON
and The Benefice of PETTON with COCKSHUTT, WELSHAMPTON, and LYNEAL with COLEMERE.
Feature Image: Wikicommons, P.D.