Pastoral Letters
Our Ministers regularly write letters of encouragement and support:
March Musings
Time is racing on (or should I say ‘March’- ing on?!) and we find ourselves in the 3rd month of the year already.
As you know, much happens in the month of March –St David’s Day, the World Day of Prayer, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, St Piran’s Day (I was in Cornwall for 5 years before moving to Norfolk), St Patrick’s Day, the first day of Spring (hurrah!), Red Nose Day, and Mothering Sunday also occur in March this year. Phew! What a lot happens in this month!
We also alter the clocks so this means that British Summer Time begins!!!! Yippee!!!
There are also numerous sayings, expressions, adages, weather proverbs, idioms
and quotes that apply to the month that heralds spring in the northern
hemisphere. These traditional springtime sayings have background meaning and
rich cultural heritage.
Have you heard of any of these?
"Mad as a March hare,"
"March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers,
“When March blows its horn, your barn will be filled with hay and corn,"
One poem or verse I came across and like is:-
‘Winds of March, we welcome you.
There is work for you to do.
Work and play and blow all day,
Blow the winter cold away.’
However there is one particular saying which I remember being told as a child:-
"When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb"
This saying reminds us that the weather in March can be turbulent, stormy and
frequently changing. It also reminds us that the end of March marks the
beginning of spring.
I particularly like this saying because it reminds me of one of my favourite places in the Lake District, Grasmere and Helm Crag, a fell, which can be seen from the village there. Helm Crag is also called ‘The Lion and Lamb’ because of the profile of its distinctive summit rocks.
The reference to the Lion and the Lamb also reminds us of Jesus. There are two worship songs that come to mind – perhaps you can think of others? There’s the song ‘How Great Is Our God’ by Chris Tomlin which refers to ‘The Lion and the Lamb’; and there is another song called ‘The Lion and the Lamb’ by Leeland which includes the following lyrics:-
‘And our God is the
lion
The Lion of Judah
He's roaring with power
And fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before Him
Our God is the lamb
The lamb that was slain
For the sins of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb’
The Bible refers to Jesus as being both the lion of Judah and the lamb of God–you may wish to look up the references.
The lion is a symbol of courage and power; reminding us that Jesus is the Son of God who has power to save and rescue us. As we begin our Lenten journey this month we recall the courage of Jesus in knowingly facing his death in Jerusalem.
The symbol of the lamb depicts the purity, the sinlessness as well as the vulnerability of Jesus in becoming fully human and of allowing himself to be handed over to be crucified. There is a painting that you might like to look up called Lamb of God by Francisco de Zurbarán. This conveys something of the innocence and helplessness of a lamb that is tied and bound before it is sacrificed for the Jewish Passover.
Jesus is both the courageous lion and the sacrificial lamb. He demonstrated great courage to face his own death on the cross, and he willingly gave his own life for us. He is the Son of God with the power to save and rescue us. That power was demonstrated in his love in laying down his own life for us. We need both symbols of lion and lamb to have a fuller understanding of God, our salvation as well as the hope and new life that God offers to each and every one of us.
Blessings
Diane
