Westminster Abbey

'Of course, ‘body ‘and ‘vine’ are both metaphors, used to help us imagine a truth, the depth of dependency on each other in Christ, that we would otherwise find impossible to grasp.  Precisely how we are one body, branches of the one true vine, is deeply mysterious to us, but it is like this; like a body, like a vine.  Baptism and Holy Communion enact this spiritual truth, not just as an idea, but as something practical, physical; to do with bodies and not just our minds.'

Listen to a reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent by the Reverend Mark Birch, Canon Rector at the Abbey. 

Each week during Lent, the lectionary explores the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of the Gospel of John. One of the ways that John’s gospel identifies what Jesus is like is through his ‘I Am’ statements. From ‘I am the bread of life’ to ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, these seven statements help us learn who Jesus is, and what it means to follow Him as disciples. Our reflections will explore these statements throughout the forty days of this season.

'In John’s Gospel, we are reminded again and again that this Good Shepherd is not only a pastoral figure working with those in his immediate orbit around Galilee and Jerusalem – he is also the Eternal Word of the Father, the One through whom all creation came to be, whose life is the light of all people, and who shall come to be their judge. This shepherd reaches right into the heart of things, gathering us together. '

Listen to a reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent by the Reverend Dr James Hawkey, Canon Theologian and Almoner at the Abbey. 

Each week during Lent, the lectionary explores the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of the Gospel of John. One of the ways that John’s gospel identifies what Jesus is like is through his ‘I Am’ statements. From ‘I am the bread of life’ to ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, these seven statements help us learn who Jesus is, and what it means to follow Him as disciples. Our reflections will explore these statements throughout the forty days of this season

'Every Eucharist, we are brought face to face with this abundance that does not operate on our own terms. At the altar, we are not given what we want or a vision of God which conforms to our own devices and desires, but instead we are given the bread of life.'

Listen to a reflection for the First Sunday of Lent by the The Reverend Helena Bickley-Percival, Sacrist and Minor Canon at Westminster Abbey. 

Each week during Lent, the lectionary explores the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of the Gospel of John. One of the ways that John’s gospel identifies what Jesus is like is through his ‘I Am’ statements. From ‘I am the bread of life’ to ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, these seven statements help us learn who Jesus is, and what it means to follow Him as disciples. Our reflections will explore these statements throughout the forty days of this season

'Ash Wednesday, Lent begins and we think hard about our failings. Why do I keep going wrong? We think in fact about temptation and a pattern of failure. Why is it that I keep chasing after the wrong things?'

Join us for a reflection on Ash Wednesday by the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle. 

Each week during Lent, the lectionary explores the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth from the perspective of the Gospel of John. One of the ways that John’s gospel identifies what Jesus is like is through his ‘I Am’ statements. From ‘I am the bread of life’ to ‘I am the Good Shepherd’, these seven statements help us learn who Jesus is, and what it means to follow Him as disciples. Our reflections will explore these statements throughout the forty days of this season