Although January is the official start to the year, it seems to me that September is also a month for new beginnings.
For those in education, September marks the start of the academic year, and it is also a time of seasonal change as we note the leaves turning to their autumnal colours.
For me, although I have been here for two months, September feels like the more formal start of my ministry here in Bowdon.
When we turn to the Bible, we see that new beginnings are a thing of God. God says: “See I am doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43.19). In the Book of Lamentations, written at the time when Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonian Empire, God is praised for his steadfast love and mercy which is “new every morning” (Lamentations 3.22-23).
I wonder how that makes you feel? Often, when we are about to embark on something new, we feel a mixture of excitement and nervousness. God is in the business of creating, and he always has new things in store for us, both as individuals and as a community. This is because his love for us is inexhaustible and faithful. And the best way to know that love? By building up our relationship with God.
I invite you, as someone who will be experiencing some of these things for the first time myself, to use this September to take a look at our parish publications (the website, the BCN, the Parish Guide), and to consider what it is that you might come along to as a way of getting to know the God who longs to take us to new pastures.
There is plenty on offer, for people of all ages and backgrounds, so why not come and join us on this exciting adventure, and discover what God is doing in our midst. It’d be great to see you!