For each of the OoF leaflets you receive there will be the opportunity to share your reflections and creativity here on our website as well as on our FaceBook pages. Sharing the faith together we grow in our understand of God and each other. Any images and words you send in will be put onto the pages here so that we can all share together in OoFing in the times of challenge during the 2020/21 COVID pandemic when we are not able to meet in person face to face and keep our faith in the ways we have done in years gone by. Please do join in.

This celebration is introduced to us in "Exicitng Holiness" in these words.... "This day marks the completion of forty days since the birth of Jesus, when Mary and Joseph took the child to the Temple in Jerusalem. The requirement in Levitical law was for Mary to be 'cleansed', the completion of her purification following the birth of a male child. Until that day, she could touch no holy thing nor enter the sanctuary. Yet on seeing the holy family, Simeon praised God and acclaimed the infant as 'the light to enlighten the nations' and the prophet Anna gave thanks and proclaimed him her Redeemer. The image of Christ as the Light has led to the celebration of light countering darkness, with candles often taking a central place in the observance. "

Almighty and ever-living God,
clothed in majesty,
whose beloved Son
was this day presented in the Temple,
in substance of our flesh:
grant that we may be presented to you
with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. AMEN.

A reading from the prophecy of Malachi 5.1-5
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight -- indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
This is the word of the Lord.

A reading from the Letter to the Hebrews
Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
This is the word of the Lord. Hebrews 2. 14-18

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed -- and a sword will pierce your own soul too."
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.
This is the gospel of Christ. Luke 2. 22-40

My contribution for this OoF
I represented the candle in a stained glasses window. I love stained glass windows and promised myself to join a class to make my own at some point in the future. For now, it will have to be cardboard and colouring pens.
Reflecting on Simeon and Anna giving their blessing to the baby Jesus I thought about the people who have blessed me in my life. The there and then and her and now. No hesitation in thinking about my mum and dad and the rest of the family who have blessed my life. I’m thinking of the roller coaster of emotions for all of us, positive and negative. Regardless of that, they helped to shape the type of person that I am today.
It doesn’t end there, feeling blessed in my relationship, friendships, the wise guides who have guided me. To the patients I have nursed through the years; the clients in my counselling work and those who seek spiritual care. I am grateful for their blessings in each of these encounters.
I extend my blessings to them, to Reuben, the church community of Saint Margaret’s for their loving kindness and making me feel welcome.

My contribution for this OoF
Taking Christmas celebrations right up to Candlemas has been something of a new experience for me in recent years, because – like most people, I suspect – the tradition for our family was to cast aside all thoughts of Christmas after 12th Night, so it’s been something of a culture change to try and accept in my head (and my heart) that the festival keeps going until 2nd of February. But it’s always good to be challenged to think anew, and that’s what this last Oof Leaflet’s made me do.
Having said that, I’m more comfortable and familiar with the other event it features, that of the baby Jesus being blessed in the temple and the joy and relief felt by Simeon when he felt that at last he could leave this life behind, happy in the knowledge that he had seen the long-promised Saviour, a farewell celebrated anew by many thousands (including me, in my youth) singing the Nunc Dimittis at Evensong every Sunday night down many hundreds of years: “Lord, now lettest thou they servant depart in peace, According to thy Word – For mine eyes have seen thy salvation…”. And that’s the kind of contentment and reassurance I’ve welcomed from my youth onwards, and which I hope I will still be welcoming in my own later years.
And whilst I celebrate that reassurance, I count the many people who have blessed my life whilst I live it, and represented in the flame of our Candlemas picture of blessing, beautifully created and crafted by Judith! And although there have been a great many people who have blessed my life, be they my parents, my family, my children, my friends or the influencers of my faith, I think it’s probably most appropriate if I choose to offer blessing and thanks to Judith, who not only created our candle, but has been the single biggest blessing of my life, and who’s put up with me – and all of my many faults – for the last 39 years now. So thank you, and blessings, to Judith, my best friend and love of my life.

My contribution for this OoF
This is more of an idea of a candle, than a true representation, but I wanted to use this splendid dried stem from our allotment and the perfect golden leaf that must have fallen off the last of the Christmas decorations as I put them away.
My blessing is for the many people I have worked with who volunteered in research projects and citizen-voice initiatives to share their life experiences with others to try and make the world a better place - who turned up week after week, without complaint or reward to share their ideas and were willing to stand up in front of hundreds of professionals and explain what needed to change and why. They showed me what 'transformational' means as they turned their experiences of how they had been failed into into hope for another way of doing things:
Blessed are you for your irreverent sense of humour
May you laugh your way to heaven.
Blessed are you for putting up with my long explanations
May you hear only the sweetest of sounds.
Blessed are you for doing whatever was asked, even when it scared the living daylights out of you
May Our Heavenly Father reveal to you your true worth.
Blessed are you for giving your all for others to have it easier than you.
May the angels surround you with the glory that is yours.
Blessed are you for the way you encouraged others.
May you know with certainty that God's justice will prevail.

Candlemas commemorates the ritual purification of Mary, 40 days after the birth of her son Jesus. The festival is called Candlemas beacuse this was the day that all the Church's candles for the year were blessed. ... On Candlemas night, many people place lighted candles in their windows at home.

What do you eat on Candlemas? In many Irish counties, Candlemas is celebrated with the Boxty, a traditional Irish potato pancake consisting of finely grated raw potato and mashed potato with flour, baking soda, buttermilk and sometimes egg.

Why did Mary purify herself? The ceremony performed by the mother of god in the temple of Jerusalem 40 days after the birth of Christ in fulfillment of the Mosaic Law requiring the cleansing of a woman from the ritual impurity incurred at childbirth. The sacrifice for purification was unnecessary for Mary. It is where the reformed church got the idea for the "Churching of Women" in the Book of Common Prayer

What happened in history on February 2nd? Two interesting facts for you to think about.
1. On this day in 1990, South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted the 30-year ban on the African National Congress, resulting in the release from prison of Nelson Mandela and marking the beginning of the end of apartheid.
2. Every year on 2nd February, World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally. This day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran. It was first celebrated in 1997. World Wetlands Day 2020 theme is 'Wetlands and biodiversity'.