Slow
Spring is taking its time to make an appearance. What can we learn from waiting for things to happen?
It’s officially Spring, yet despite the snowdrops, daffodils and catkins, this week of early March is bringing a blast of winter once more. Spring doesn’t seem to be here just yet. It is slow in coming. And, if you are like me, we are impatient for Spring to come in all its glory. We are impatient for Summer. When we plant our seeds, we keep looking for signs of germination and growth, we want everything to come, now.
As you may have heard at my ordination, the journey from the initial sense of call to ministry to finally being ordained last week, spanned many years. It was a slow process with many humps and bumps on the way. Sometimes I really wondered if I had heard God’s voice aright, but then something would happen, and that sense of call grew stronger. So, what was happening during all those years? I would say that it was the slowness of discipleship, like the seeds planted in the ground, steadily germinating and growing.
Easter is still a month away, even though the shops suggest otherwise with their displays of eggs and bunnies. We long for Easter and resurrection glory, but we are called to the slow walk of discipleship through Lent. Discipleship isn’t always glorious, like Spring. Often discipleship is hard-going, painful, and confusing. The German theologian and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, famously stated that ‘When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die’. Bonhoeffer was murdered on the orders of Hitler just a month before the end of WW2.
Spring is coming, Easter is coming, resurrection glory is coming, but for now we are all called to the slow and steady walk of discipleship. God calls us to walk humbly, and sometimes we might feel lost, yet as we walk the path of discipleship, God walks with us by the Spirit and God is always calling us onto new adventures.
![Fran Bellingham](https://croftonpark.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Fran-150x150.jpg)
Fran Bellingham
Assistant Pastor
Slow – A long journey home
Fran took part in the Unlock Walk this year. Here are some musings from her experience.
Being Baptist
As part of our bible study, we look into what it means to be Baptist. This lesson reminds us of our responsibilities as well as the historical relevance of being Baptist.
Are we there yet?
As Christians we do ask this question a lot. But what is the answer?
Working with patience
Fran uses the pear tree to illustrate why patience can often pay off
The Mothers’ Day Card
Fran talks about a card that brings back special memories
God’s call to ministry
As Fran prepares for her ordination, she reflects on the journey that has brought her to this moment and how you can listen out for God’s calling
Pancakes
Shrove Tuesday means pancakes but what can we learn from this age-old custom of preparing for Lent
Compassion
This week is Compassion Sunday and Fran reflects on how the church could use this opportunity to become actors and not spectators.
Marmalade
What has marmalade got to do with God’s love for us? Fran explains all.
Verse for the year
Every year we choose a corporate verse that gives us a focal point for the year. Fran tells us what it is and how it was chosen.