Did you know, the word “March” comes from the Latin word “Martius”, which was named after Mars, the Roman god of war?

But I wonder, did you also know that Mars is the roman god of agriculture? Well (secretly) neither did I until I googled it!

However, when you think about it, this seems to make sense…It’s the time of year, through the changing seasons, when we get a heightened sense of the wonder of nature; and the need to tend and care for it.

After all, March is the first month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the leaves start to change colour and the animals start to prepare for winter.

However, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, the days start to get longer, and the weather starts to warm up, the flowers start to bloom, and the animals emerge from their winter hibernation. It’s a time of new beginnings, a time when the world seems to be waking up after it’s long winter sleep, bursting into glorious life.

As such, March is a month of transition.

But, times of transition, can also be unsettling. An in-between time, that brings with it uncertainty. Like the uncertainty that would have descended upon the disciples, as they walked together with Jesus towards Jerusalem, and back in to the hands of those who wanted to get rid of their teacher, and friend.

And in March this year, during Holy Week, we’ll also walk along with Jesus in the final days of His life, together with the disciples, along the road and into Jerusalem.

But through our faith, we know that this will not be the end of the story. But rather like spring time – He will move through the winter time of death – and into New Life on Easter Day, to reveal a Glorious Summer, in all of its wondrous beauty.

But, we should not be in too much of a hurry to get to Easter morning, but rather dwell in the uncomfortable uncertainty of the journey towards the Cross; as very often these times of transition, of movement, can offer the greatest opportunities for new growth and understanding.

So as we wait in this in-between time, may I commend to you the Lent Course (From Denial to Trust), which will offer an opportunity to travel with the Jesus and the disciple towards the Cross, and, perhaps, discover more about what this might have felt like, and feels like in today’s world for us. Or perhaps purchasing a Lent Study guide to lead you prayerfully through the season. Or one or more of our services during Holy Week, that are both reflective, and moving in equal part.

But whatever way we choose to approach Lent, and most especially Holy Week this year, may we do so with the love and care of God, who has the power to transform us and our lives, and through us, those we meet, who we journey alongside, together with Jesus and the disciples, each and every day.

All my Spring Time blessings

Do join us on Thursdays during Lent on our Lent Study Course 

As we tiptoe into January, and pack away all the Christmas decorations, the New Year can be a time of reflection (on the past year), and a time to look forward (to what’s to come in 2026).

In this way our own experience of 2025 will have been distinctly different.  I’m sure each one of us will have faced personal challenges, in our home, work, social, or even, spiritual lives. Moments that came as a surprise, or a shock, that challenged us, and caused us to rethink, or reorganize our lives.

And in the same way, times of joy, that would have lit up our lives, and made us thankful for all that we have.

I’m sure this is how the Wise Men must have reacted, when they were challenged by God, to find the “King of the Jews.” They too were just going about their daily lives, watching the stars and observing the heavens, looking out for signs that might offer them wisdom, in order to help them advise rulers and kings about a prudent course of action.

However, The Wise Men, having seen the Star, knew that it meant something very special. The moment God had been promising – a moment that would bring Joy to the World, a moment that would change the course of history forever.

And so, travelling from the East, they overcame the challenges they faced; and with the help of a Star, found God at the end of their journey, offering peace and hope for a world that desperately needed to hear it, and receive it.

Consequently, as we look forward to our own personal expedition in 2026, I wonder, along with each one of you, what that journey will look like, and ponder on the challenges, both seen and unseen, that might lay ahead.

But as we take time to consider, when the future reveals itself, that we’ll be guided by a Star, and led to God, who will offer us peace and hope. But also, Joy: the joy in meeting Jesus face to face every day, in what we do, and in one another. And rejoice in the knowledge that we are known, and loved by God, who walks with us on our journey, in every moment, of every day.

So may I end by offering you a happy and blessed New Year, and a prosperous 2026! 

Nick