Dear All
First of all this message comes to you with my love and prayers. I am praying for you, our country and our world as my first priority at the moment.
As a Deanery we are organising a weekly newsletter with readings, prayers and reflections. This will begin properly next week, but you might enjoy Rev Steve Smith’s reflection for today at the bottom of this message. You can also share with Bishop Philip in a Eucharist for today in a video recorded at Truro Cathedral at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBPwz0g5f6I . And don’t forget to light a candle at 7pm tonight to join with others around the world through “Thy Kingdom Come”.
I apologise that I am not answering emails as fast as I would like at the moment. This is partly because I have a cold (nothing worse) and like of all you I am struggling to keep up with such fast changing information. 
Stay safe and, if possible, stay at home.
Love
Johanna

Steve’s Reflection for Mothering Sunday

Moses’ mother, Jochebed, in the act of letting her baby go in order to save his life,, finds that he is given back to her. He later grows up as the child of Pharaoh’s daughter and eventually leads the oppressed Hebrew nation out of Egypt to the Promised Land. 

Jochebed’s trust that her child would be safe despite the risk of his being found and killed or drowning accidentally in the Nile was matched by her courage in being prepared to let him go. Both her trust and her courage are rewarded in a totally unforeseen way – with the added bonus that she would now be paid for nursing her own child! 

Jesus’ mother Mary, seeing her son nailed to the cross is offered comfort and hope in her horror. She is gifted by the dying Jesus with John, her ‘new son’. As her firstborn, it was Jesus who had responsibility for his mother after her husband Joseph died. His choice to carry on this responsibility after his death is ‘the disciple Jesus loved’ – John, who is told he too is being gifted – with his ‘new mother’. 

This Mothering Sunday let’s remember those people who have been responsible for and caring toward us. These people may or may not have been blood relatives; they may or may not have been perfect in the execution of their roles… so we are reminded by the words of the New Testament reading to have kindness, forgiveness and above all to “let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts”  

Let us also draw to mind all those people we have being given responsibility for, as well as any we have had to let go… 

And in the current pandemic crisis as we come across people (as doubtless we shall) in some need or other -. whether friend, neighbour or total stranger, let us be open to the word of God saying to us,  

     “Behold your (new) son … mother … daughter …  father……”