Welcome to my Perching Post.

Easter Day

Easter Day dawned sunny and bright, birds carolling a joyful song of high spirits and zest for life. Usually we’d be up at daybreak, a bonfire on the beach and the excited lighting of the Easter candle. Church bells ringing a peal of praise; the choir singing; packed pews and a host of folk eagerly greeting Easter Day with praise, prayer and Easter eggs.

But not this year. The coronavirus situation means that we are all confined to home, our churches are locked and our liberty restricted. It all feels very strange. Completely alien to the freedom we usually enjoy, celebrating the Great Festival in whatever way we might choose.

Usually, one of the happy spectacles of the season is the decorating of churches following the austerity and solemnity of Lent – a time when no flowers are to be seen in churches. As Easter arrives this changes dramatically. Altars, windowsills, pedestals – every nook and cranny – is decked with spring flowers. A cacophony of bright blooms bursting with light to celebrate the new life the Easter message proclaims.

Something I have missed most this year is the Easter Garden. Created by youngsters (and some eager grown ups!) on Holy Saturday it waits, forlorn and bare. Stones and pebbles depict the garden shielding a tomb-like cave. The tomb, where Joseph of Arimathea has laid the body of Jesus following the events of Good Friday. This tomb is sealed with a large stone… There seems to be little hope here.

But what is this? Any other year and Easter Day arrives; suddenly the garden is transformed. Small fingers have created a blaze of colour, blooms and rejoicing. The stone is rolled away; the tomb lies empty and the message of the risen Lord gets through at last to the disciples…

Easter garden in church celebrating the good news of the risen Jesus

So it was poignant, walking past our lovely little church on Easter morning in warmth and sunlight, knowing that the door was locked and and access barred.

But we were in for a surprise…

In the doorway of the church, on bench and doorstep – the faithful had been at work and here were their offerings of flowers and decoration.

Easter bunnies celebrate spring and new life

A simple combination of tulips and freesia lightened a dark corner.

An offering of spring flowers for Easter

We may be in lockdown but the Easter message still comes through… I am reminded of words from the 17th century poet George Herbert:

‘The Church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out…’

In this case, just as the risen Christ bursts from the tomb, just as psalms fill the air, so the glad news of Easter will get out.

Happy Easter everyone!

Traditional Easter lilies — Easter lilies

A Strange Spring arrives

Spring has arrived, the clocks have gone forward and in the northern hemisphere the days are lengthening. But what an unfamiliar world we find ourselves in. With words like ‘isolation’, ‘social distancing’ and ‘vulnerable persons’ on everyone’s lips it is a spring like no other.

We find our movements restricted, the survival of jobs threatened, supplies limited. It is indeed a strange time. Often difficult conditions like these can bring out the best in people – we’ve seen volunteer groups set up, communities pulling together and neighbours helping out and keeping an eye open for those in need. For the most part this is cheering – maybe when the current peril is past we’ll be a kinder and more caring society.

But the end of this so-called ‘lock down’ is not just yet. We have to find ways to remain optimistic – not always easy if lifestyles and livelihoods are threatened. It is at times like these that we need even more to value simple things and this beautiful season of growth and awakening from winter slumber can provide some signs of cheer for the future.

Bright yellow gorse in flower — Bright honey-scented flowers of gorse

If you can get out for a walk or into a garden – enjoy it. Listen to the birdsong and the buzz of insects, feel the breeze on your skin and the warmth of the sun, look to the blue sky and enjoy what is around you.

Blackthorn flowers festoon the hedgerows

Blackthorn is in full flower now – its abundance clothes the hedgerows with foaming white flowers looking for all the world like a sudden eiderdown covering of snow. Indeed, the phrase ‘blackthorn winter’ stems from the frequent spells of cold weather that suddenly surprise us in the early days of April.

Spring bulbs in pots — Spring bulbs give a wonderful splash of colour

As the sun returns the spring bulbs are really coming into their own whether in pots or in the wild. This strange spring is a time of new growth, new opportunities, new ways of living and coping with a challenging situation. It will pass…

Tulips in many shades — Narcissus and tulips

Waiting, hoping, longing

On a visit to a small village high up in the Swiss alps some years ago, I was fortunate enough to visit the Anglican church there. The plain, simple interior highlighted the beautiful east window which depicted the majestic form of an eagle in flight. Words etched above the glass come from a passage in the book of the prophet Isaiah: ‘those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles…’

Stained glass window with image of eagle — They shall mount up with wings like eagles…

Sometimes it’s so hard to wait. Think of a child on the eve of a birthday treat. Think of someone waiting at an airport or railway station, eagerly anticipating the arrival of a loved one. Or think of a patient waiting and perhaps fearing the results of tests, or the outcome of a medical procedure. Waiting can be difficult and painful – a fear of the unknown can be worse than the reality when it is finally revealed.

But faith often takes us into unknown places where we are no longer certain of the old familiar paths. Things that used to work for us once upon a time have let us down; the tried and trusted no longer delivers – suddenly we’re out of our comfort zone.

But God tells us to be patient. We have to wait on the Lord – to allow His time to be our time. There is an Irish saying: ‘when God made time, He made plenty of it.’ In a society and age where everything has to happen at once, where instant gratification is the buzz phrase, it can be hard to have to wait. The Christian church is now in the season of Lent, a time of discipline and self-examination. It is also a time of waiting. We journey through a kind of wilderness time as winter’s grip still holds us in its clasp but the days lengthen and spring truly does draw on. (The word ‘Lent’ comes from the old word ‘Lencten’, meaning ‘a lengthening of days.’) It can be helpful to take a look at our lives and think again about just where we need to let God take charge – let him into our lives so that he can be our guide, inspiration and help. For, if we really let him – if we wait on his timescale and not ours – God truly will raise us up as though ‘on wings like eagles’.