Pancakes

Once again our Guide Company's Pancake Supper provided excellent pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. I was very restrained and only had two this year. It was good to seethe event was well attended.
Of course, it is also a reminder that tomorrow,Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning Lent.
This year I am planning to use a Lent Study on 'Christ and the Chocolaterie' which uses themes from the film Chocolat as a stimulus to reflection and discussion. For Sunday preaching I am torn between two approaches which were both suggested by Lutheran New Testament scholars. One suggestion is to use the theme of 'wilderness' which can be seen to represent an in-between space - 'a space of testing, trial, learning, discovery, and transformation outside the established rhythms and norms of community life.'(Dwight Zscheile). The other suggestion is to use Lent as a journey to the baptistery. The themes would be doorway, tomb, womb, bath, spring. As I am away this Sunday in order to attend a very important 5th birthday celebration, I still have a few days to ponder which suggestion to follow.

Cober Hill

The annual YBA ministers' conference at Cober Hill (Cloughton, near Scarborough) was a very enjoyable 3 days this week. The speaker was the Dean of Chester Cathedral, Trevor Dennis, whose subject was 'Listen again; Stories of the Old Testament - a fresh look at Ruth and Jonah'. His input was excellent as he talked us through these two very familiar stories. As always it was good to meet up with colleagues and the food at Cober Hill is also very good.
It is back down to earth today with tonight's study group to prepare for and also Sunday morning to get ready. This Sunday will end a short series of sermons on the theme of 'epiphany'.

sermons

Two members of the congregation very kindly passed on a newspaper cutting with the results of a survey carried out by Durham University. The survey revealed -

99.6% of churchgoers looked forward to the sermon.

When asked about how long they wanted a sermon to last -

Catholics - 10 minutes

Anglicans - 10-20 minutes

Baptists - 1 hour 15 minutes

Where did they find the Baptists who gave that answer?

Youth Group weekend away

Just about to head off and visit the Youth Group on the first night of their weekend away. The venue is a Boys Brigade owned building in the small Hamlet of Glasshouses which is in the Nidd Valley just over 12 miles from Harrogate. The accommodation is basic but the young people love it. After doing an epilogue I will drive the 12 miles back to Harrogate to the warmth and comfort of my own bed ( having declined the kind offer of staying the night there).

Burns Night

Could not let today pass without a mention of Robert Burns and the remarkable fact that across the world at this time of year the man and his poetry will be celebrated.
Harrogate St Andrew's Society held its Burns Night on Saturday with all the traditional elements included.
Tonight I have been invited by the Guide Company attached to the church to join them for a kind of mini Burns Supper. But I will need to work for my haggis, neeps and tatties by reciting the Selkirk grace and also give the 'address to the haggis'( a shorter version though).
The faults and follies of Burns are well known. But in his young life he did write some remarkable poetry. Is there a better celebration of the worth of the ordinary person than 'A man's a man for a that'? Is there a better love song than 'My love is like a red red rose'? Is there a better expression of that call to battle than 'Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled'?
Sir Walter Scott said of him - "Long life to thy fame and peace to thy soul, Robert Burns. When I want to express a sentiment which I feel strongly, I find the phrase in Shakespeare or thee...."

the end of a snowy week

A clear sign of the kind of weather we are having in Harrogate was the sight of a mother and son skiing along our street yesterday on the way to school. The only other time I remember seeing someone ski past our house was in Elland, West Yorkshire in the early 80's when we had at least two very snowy weekends there.

All my meetings have been cancelled this week. I have done a fair bit of 'telephone' visiting rather than try and get round on foot or by car.

Annette and I are just about to get wrapped up and walk into town for my slightly delayed birthday meal out.

Birthday snow

Snow fell steadily this morning on my birthday. Sadly I have not had time to enjoy it and no grandchildren nearby to enjoy it with. The weather will mean that this will be a much quieter week in terms of meetings. If I need the car I will need to clear the drive. The last time I remember snow like this was when we lived in West Yorkshire - more than 20 years ago.