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Good morning. The pandemic has stolen many things from us all, but I was surprised recently to realise that it had given me an unexpected gift. Like many others, during lockdown I got into the habit of taking a daily walk around the village where we’ve lived for the last 14 years. At first, I stuck to the pavements which I knew so well due to my pastoral visits, but over time I became more adventurous. As I did so, my mental map of our village changed, and I started to get a feel for where the old fields and farms had been, and how the contours of our village today have been shaped by ancient boundaries or highways.

On one such exploration, I discovered a well-worn path leading from the parish church to a stile by a farm at the top of a neighbouring hill. It became my habit to sit on the stile to catch my breath, enjoy the wonderful view and spend a few moments praying for the people going about their business in the village at my feet. One day I looked at an Ordnance Survey map to see whether the path appeared on it, and to my delight I saw that the farm had a name – Ty’r Person, which is Welsh for the parson’s house. I realised with a jolt that for hundreds of years, priests before me must have been walking that path homewards, from the church up to that stile, no doubt lifting up to God the needs of their congregation as they did so - just as I was doing now.

Father God, we thank you for the faithfulness of those who have gone before us, who have lived out their faith in you through the simple daily actions of caring for those in need, sharing their time and possessions with them, and lifting them up in prayer. Thank you for those who’ve kept the flame of faith burning in our communities even when times seemed hopeless. Help us also to leave a legacy of kindness, faithfulness and prayer to the generations to come.  Amen.