Dear Friends, We begin this month with our wonderful Christingle Service at church. This annual event is held each year at Candlemas. Although Christingle services are often celebrated at Christmas, we like to mark ours at Candlemas—a special day which brings the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany to an end. Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation, recalls how the infant Jesus, revealed to the Magi at his birth, is now recognised in the Temple in Jerusalem by Simeon and Anna. These two faithful people have waited in the Temple for many years and rejoice that at last they have seen both “a light to lighten the Gentiles” and “the glory of God’s people Israel.” I think Candlemas is also a very good way to say goodbye to another January! Yet alongside the joy of this occasion comes a solemn warning. Jesus’ parents are told that the redemption he will bring must be won through suffering. The story of his birth is already pointing towards the Passion, and so our focus gently moves away from the celebrations of Christmas and towards the mysteries of Easter. At our Christingle service, everyone receives an orange with a candle fixed into… Read More