Dear friends,
This Sunday is Education Sunday. A National Day of Prayer and celebration for those involved in education. It happens every September and coincides with the start of the new academic year.
This year the theme is “Lost and Found,” The parable of the lost sheep. I love this parable; it is the story that was a doorway to faith when I was 12 yrs and resonates as strongly today as it did then.
Looking through the lens of Education Sunday, it reminds me that every individual, regardless of their behaviour, is valuable and worthy of care. The story encourages persistence, compassion, and the celebration of success, especially for those who struggle. In fact, this is a beautiful reminder for all of us, is it not?
This is the welcome and vibe that saturates our mission and our outreach. What we seek to more of and what you can feel as you wander through the place, I think. Certainly, during the Summer Vibes and Full Heart Friday sessions through the holidays, it was palpable and noticed by those taking part.
It is what God continues to put on our hearts and in our bones as we seek to do his will in our little corner of Earley.
Echoes of this are also woven all through the liturgy of Mark’s upcoming licensing service and Bishop Mary will of course be carrying her shepherd’s crook (Crozier or Pastoral staff) making it all feel so ‘joined up.’
For me, when things in life and faith are ‘joined up’ or in tune like this, there is a profound sense of peace that surrounds it. A deeply felt knowing, that we are exactly where we are meant to be and doing what we are meant to be doing.
At a time when many in the world feel lost or adrift, searching for belonging, meaning and purpose this is such a blessing.
So dear reader, be encouraged, be energized. The Good Shepherd knows you by name. His love means he never gives up on us, even when we do so ourselves. Let’s lean into this and pass it on.
Love, Julia