Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday, a day when many families – including mine – get together to celebrate to give thanks for the love and support we have received as parents, grandparents and children. This year will be very different.

But the fact that we cannot meet, we cannot go to Church and celebrate together does not mean that the love we have experienced has ceased. Throughout my life I have been incredibly fortunate that I have had the physical love and support of family. I have always been able to go to Church and give thanks to God, who I have known since a small child. There have been times when I have not appreciated or given thanks enough for what I have.

All over the world there are many thousands of Christians who cannot meet together who cannot celebrate because they are persecuted and who would risk their lives to publicly worship. God’s love overarches all, He has not deserted us, and he is as near to us as he ever was. We are called now to show his love to the lonely, the frightened, the poor and the sick. We are called to pray and come closer to Him than ever.

Please don’t forget the food bank. At a time when people are scrambling for food, remember those who have nothing. The box will be in the porch all the time the church is open.

I have tried to distribute resources to everyone who is attached to St. Barnabas and St. Mary, so that we can pray together as specific time, even if we are not physically together. At 7pm tomorrow evening we are all asked to light a candle of hope in our window and pray. In our vicarage that candle of hope will be burning until this crisis is over.

Get in touch if you need us, stay safe, care for each other and pray and we will come out of this wiser and stronger.

God Bless