This year All Saints Church’s Lent course will use the new book by Ruth Valerio “Saying Yes to Life”. More details of the course at the Wokingham church will be announced soon.
The book is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book for 2020.
Saying Yes to Life lifts our focus from every day (and perfectly natural) concerns to issues that are impacting millions of lives around the world. As people made in the image of God, we are entrusted to look after what God has made to share in the joy and creativity of God in making a difference for good.
Ruth Valerio imaginatively draws on the Days of Creation (Genesis 1–2:2) in relating themes of light, water, land, the seasons, other creatures, humankind, Sabbath rest and resurrection hope to matters of environmental, ethical and social concern.
Foundational to the book are what it means to be human and, in particular, to be a follower of Jesus during Lent. Voices from other continents are heard throughout, and each chapter ends with discussion questions, a prayer, and specially commissioned art to aid action and contemplation.
Dr Ruth Valerio is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director at Tearfund. An environmentalist, theologian and social activist, she worked previously at A Rocha, UK.
Ruth holds a doctorate from Kings College London, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Winchester and Chichester. She enjoys living sustainably practising what she preaches and inspiring others as she does so on a housing estate in Chichester with her husband and two daughters.
Worshippers at All Saints Wokingham recent communion service brought to church items that represent their responses to the climate emergency and the need to take action to care for creation. During the service different items were presented. They ranged from plastic-free wrappers to electric car keys. A prayer of blessing was said and a photo taken of each item.
The Rector, Canon David Hodgson, said: “The Sunday was the celebration of Christ’s presentation in the Temple and being recognised as a light to all the world.
“These items represent light and hope in our present situation. We had the idea of bringing things to church for a blessing because traditionally, on this feast of Candlemas, people used to bring candles to church for blessing by the priest”.
