2nd February 2026 Pastoral Letter
Dearly Beloved
A Pastoral letter from Rev Lucy
The days are slowly getting longer but these can still be dark cold days physically and mentally as Christmas is left behind and spring and warm days and Easter still seem a long way off.
We celebrated Candlemas last Sunday, so we really have no excuse for keeping our Christmas decorations up any longer as Candlemas marks the end of Epiphany. In the Vicarage James insisted on keeping our Christmas cards up and our Nativity sets out throughout January. In the evenings I like turning on the sparkly string of lights across the living room. These are important visual symbols of a spiritual truth that Jesus is with us through these dark days. I find January a very hard month for all sorts of reasons and these visual cues of Jesus and hope really help me.
This January has been a particularly hard one for me as I am currently six weeks into many months of chemotherapy treatment, having been diagnosed with breast cancer in November. This has brought about an unexpected journey for us, many hospital appointments and now the settling into a treatment journey which we expect to last most of this year. Thank you to those of you that have been praying for us and for the many kind cards, messages and gifts.
Nevertheless, it is still time for Christmas to be packed away although I think the sparkly lights in The Vicarage will stay up! And I will finally wash James’ Jesus is the reason for the season jumper! And so we turn our faces in hope towards Lent, but it is important that we remember that we do not do this alone.
Candlemas is the Feast of the presentation of Jesus in the temple. The holy family meet Simeon who takes baby Jesus in his arms and recognises Him as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel. Simeon has the gift of patience, of holy waiting. He has been told that he will see the Messiah, but he has no way of knowing when that will be and so he has lived his life with holy waiting.
The holy family also meet Anna. She is a widow and she worships and prays in the temple day and night. Maybe Anna hears Simeon praising God, maybe she knows who he is waiting for, maybe she is filled with the Holy Spirit, maybe all three. But she comes over to this little family and is filled with a bubbling joy. Suddenly she is telling everyone else about the good news of Jesus’ arrival. She is filled with joyous thanksgiving.
Candlemas reflects the arrival of the light of Jesus and as part of the celebration of Jesus’ presentation in the temple it also became the day for blessing the lights or candles in the church with the prayer that those who saw that outward and visible light would be blessed by the inner light of Jesus.
So, I invite you this week to turn on some sparkly lights or light candle and to ponder Simeon’s holy waiting and Anna’s joyous thanksgiving. And I pray that you may be blessed with patient peace and know the inner light of Jesus on your journey into this year.
Perhaps you might join me in praying this Candlemas prayer:
Lord God, the springing source of everlasting light,
pour into the hearts of your faithful people
the brilliance of your eternal splendour,
that we, who by these kindling flames
light up this temple to your glory,
may have the darkness of our souls dispelled,
and so be counted worthy to stand before you
in that eternal city where you live and reign,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
With love and prayer
Lucy and James.