Lent 1

High winds. 468 late but just got 407. Played Homage to Howells by Ronald Watson and De profundis Aus der tiefe Hendrick Andriessen. We sang Lent prose and All my hope on God is founded. Anne-Marie Garton preached on spring cleaning and Lenten promises. 6 weeks with no alcohol....Superb singing on radio 3 from St John's college Cambridge and the second reading was riveting! Disturbing BBC news item on poaching of Botswana's elephants. Evensong Thou knowest Lord Purcell and Harris in A not his best setting. Great playing by Eleni Keventsidou at Christ's Chapel Dulwich and a good audience enjoyed the eats afterwards. It has been a good start to Lent with quiet reflection on Ash Wednesday and a moving funeral on Thursday.It strikes me that the outside world seldom sees the church at its best when a community is united in grief and joy at the loss of a beloved brother and friend. The media seldom portrays this. All they see are the faults. And that is not to deny the faults. Now is the time for the Church to bring in stringent controls on those who abuse and handing over to the courts.