A Pastoral Letter from the Dean of York, The Very Revd Dominic Barrington.
September is very much a time of new beginnings. Young children get ready for their first day at school, and another generation of undergraduates embark on life at college or university. When I worked in the Episcopal Church in the US, it was common to speak of the new ‘program year’ (sic!), and even though such language is less common in the C of E, there is a sense of people returning to the pews after time away on holiday. And this year, a new government and House of Commons will be settling in to the many tasks it faces after the summer parliamentary recess.
Our journey with Jesus this September is also one which demands us to regroup and focus anew on his call to us, both as individuals and as communities. On the five Sundays this month contains, the gospel readings we will hear in church come from the middle of Mark, and each passage is one which demands some kind of fresh start. Jesus demands a re-evaluation of traditions taken for granted; a widening of our view about inclusivity; a new approach to losing and saving one’s life; a new perspective on what it means to be great.
I hope that as this month unfolds for you and that part of the Body of Christ to which you belong, you will be reinvigorated as you hear anew Jesus’ call to discipleship, and that, across this diocese we might be find ever more wonderful ways to Live Christ’s Story.
