St Paul's

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BISHOP OF LINCOLN'S LETTER FOR May 2013

As I write this letter we are emerging from what seems like a very long and harsh winter.

At last, we’re now enjoying warmer weather. As I drive around the diocese, it seems as though all of a sudden I am surrounded by wonderful vibrant shades of green in our fields, and flowers finally springing forth in all their spring and summer glory in our gardens and along the roadsides. It is a wonderful sight and I thank God for the natural beauty we can all enjoy.

I’m also aware, though, that the vagaries of the weather have made this last year a particularly tough one for all those who farm in our diocese.

In Lincolnshire , perhaps more than most places in the country, we are very aware of being at the mercy of the weather. I’m reminded that the Bishop of Ely was once approached by a group of farmers and asked to pray for rain because the ground was so parched and their crops were suffering. Several weeks later, the same farmers were back at the Bishop, asking him to pray for the rain to stop, since it had fallen incessantly since their last visit and their crops were in danger of being ruined. We need to be careful what we pray for!

This month, many of us will be going to the Lincolnshire County Show, one of the country’s largest agricultural shows. It’s a timely reminder of our reliance on the land and our dependence on good weather – for work, for play and for the food we eat.

Take time to stop and notice the beauty of our natural environment this month. And as you do so, spare a thought for those who work on the land in our diocese and provide food provide for our tables, and thank God for them.

+Christopher Lincoln: