Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ across the Diocese of Sodor and Man,
In this holy season, as we rejoice in coming of Jesus to a world longing for hope, and move towards the feast of the Epiphany, I write to you with thankfulness and hope. Looking back over the past year, we can see both light and shadow. There have been moments of joy and growth, and there have also been times of sorrow, anxiety, and weariness. Yet the message of Christmas is that God is with us in all of it and Christ’s continuing presence is the source of our joy and the foundation of our hope.
The season of Epiphany invites us to look ahead, to follow the light that God sets before us and the revelation of God amongst us. The Magi set out on a journey marked by uncertainty, guided only by a star and trust in God’s promises. They travelled far, asked questions along the way, and were changed by what they found. Their story reminds us that faith grows and develops as we entrust ourselves into God’s companionship and leading.
Some of you know that I have roots in Lincolnshire and one of Lincolnshire’s most famous sons is the poet Tennyson. His prayer-infused poem ‘Ring Out Wild Bells’, part of a larger work ‘In Memoriam’ speaks deeply into this moment of a new year as we are invited to entrust ourselves to God once more:
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
As a diocese, let us ask God to ring out whatever diminishes life, and to ring in courage, compassion, and renewed trust. In the light of Christ, may old fears lose their hold, and may new possibilities for mission and service come into view.
Epiphany proclaims that Christ is not only for a few, but for all. The child worshipped by the Magi is the light of the nations, and his light still shines in our churches, our communities, and our common life. With Tennyson, we pray that this new year be one in which our witness and our common life is marked by generosity, our decisions by wisdom, and our relationships by grace.
Above all, we look to Christ himself, born among us at Christmas and revealed to the world at Epiphany and pray that we might be those who share the good news of God’s love with those who are yet to know him for themselves, as we too “Ring in the Christ that is to be.”
I want to extend whole-hearted thanks to all who are part of our Diocese and especially to you who are Lay Ministers, Church Officers and all who volunteer in every capacity, for your diligence, generosity and commitment to our shared life and to God’s work and mission. God’s character and love are being made visible through your faith lived out in local communities and the hope offered in ordinary and extraordinary moments. I pray that, in the year ahead, you may know God’s sustaining grace, fresh confidence in your calling, and joy in all that you are given to do.
As the new year begins I look forward to opportunities to meet you in your own settings, and I hope you will feel free to invite me to visit your churches, attend community events, and share in services when it would be helpful or encouraging for me to do so.
With my prayers for you all, and with every blessing for the remainder of Christmas and Epiphany,
+Tricia