Dear Friends,
Anniversaries are always significant and can of course be times of great rejoicing and also for some times of sadness when grief or pain surfaces though the everyday routines of life. We will shortly be approaching a time of National Remembrance on the anniversary of our countries first lockdown. The suddenness, forcefulness of the occasion which followed the government announcement will be remembered by many and so too will the passage of time, a year of ups and downs, pain and struggle.
As members of ASE we want to stand in prayer, love and solidarity for the many who have lost loved ones and for whom this anniversary of sharp pain and grief will bring back times of the inevitable dislocation that the pandemic has brought to our daily life.
We plan to signal this solidarity with some prayers and messages on social media and join where we are for the one minute silence at noon on Tuesday 23 March. I, with others will be doing this in our lovely church building and if you wish to join me, if you feel safe and are passing please do. We will keep silence, offer prayers and read and reflect from scripture. This short time might well be broadcast on our YouTube channel if you would like to stay at home and join us that way.
We also encourage you to come and tie a yellow ribbon to the Prayer Tree in the churchyard. There will be a box of yellow ribbons available on the day or you can bring your own. Or you may choose to plant a seed/bulb in your garden to provide hope for the future. There is also a prayer postcard that you may like to guide your prayers for the day. Download here.
If you would like to find out more about the National Day of Reflection click here.
May the Lord in whose hands we are guided keep our lives with gentleness during these times of solidarity with those we seek to remember.
Mark