Fanning the flames

Back to the (almost) daily Lenten Blog:

Today, my calendar reminds me that it is an Ember Day. There are four sets during the year and they have, traditionally, been times when people are ordained and where we pray for those with Diaconal and Priestly vocations. I am not sure we really know why Ember Days and Ordination are linked but the official line goes back to the 8th Century.

I like the imagery. I remember walking around a site in Scotland where there had been Highland clearances (the English forcibly removed the Scots from the traditional lands). There were ruins of houses but what as always struck me powerfully is that the soldiers put out the fires, removing life from these places.

Embers are important - fires can be rekindled from them, even when they seem to be burning low. They seem to be a good metaphor for our faith journey - even when we think the fire and life has gone out of us, somewhere, deep within the embers burn - or perhaps just smoulder - but can be rekindled with the fuel and breath of the Spirit.

You got that

As some of you know I was given a batch of chicks for my birthday. I hasten to add this was not random - we have had chickens before and my husband was given a free coop so we had planned on them, it was just a nice surprise. This one is Aphra.

I have not raised hens from chicks before, last time I bought 16 week olds as we were in the UK and they are not terribly expensive. So, watching these little guys is fascinating. They know what they need, even though they are only a few days old. They hang out under the head lamp, eat, drink, find a cooler spot when they need it.

The Bible talks about God as a mother hen. But we are not very good at being chicks, listening to our own inner voices and needs, coming back to the warmth and protection and looking after ourselves. I will keep watching the chicks and reminding myself that I need to listen to that deep and natural voice of the Spirit within me, without making things so complicated.

New Moon

As many of you know until about a year ago we lived in Florida, fairly close to the beach. Every so often there would be a spectacular new moon and the beach would fill up with locals as dusk fell and the moon rose.

I like to take pictures but the moon is really hard for me - I did not quite get it right - everything seems a bit backwards to my poor brain, compared to taking pictures of the sunrise. I had some learning to do about moon pictures after this.

It seems obvious to say that we need to learn, but it can be difficult to actually do that when we are in a situation which is less familiar. We tend to be self-critical - I was with my blurry moon pictures - but then I realized I could learn, could understand better. This willingness to let go of our over-developed adult certainty and ability to view our faith as a place of learning is something which we can embrace. It is easy to think we are doing that but if we are thinking we are not good enough, smart enough or skilled enough it might be time to consider learning that the aperture and shutter speed which we are setting, might need a little work.