Hunny! 40 Days in the 100 Aker Wood – Shrove Tuesday
To Read:
Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. And then he feels that perhaps there isn’t. Anyhow, here he is at the bottom, and ready to be introduced to you. Winnie-the-Pooh.
When I first heard his name, I said, just as you are going to say, “But I thought he was a boy?”
“So did I,” said Christopher Robin.
“Then you can’t call him Winnie?”
“I don’t.”
“But you said – “
“He’s Winnie-ther-Pooh. Don’t you know what ther’ means?”
“Ah, yes, now I do,” I said quickly; and I hope you do too, because it is all the explanation you are going to get.
Sometimes Winnie-the-Pooh likes a game of some sort when he comes downstairs, and sometimes he likes to sit quietly in front of the fire and listen to a story. This evening –
“What about a story?” said Christopher Robin.
“What about a story?” I said.
“Could you very sweetly tell Winnie-the-Pooh one?”
“I suppose I could,” I said. “What sort of stories does he like?”
“About himself. Because he’s that sort of Bear.”
“Oh, I see.”
“So could you very sweetly?”
“I’ll try,” I said.
So I tried.
(Winnie the Pooh – Chapter 1)
From the Scriptures:
‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Luke 12v32-34)
To Reflect:
‘Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head…’
Have you ever felt that sometimes, especially at its beginning, going ‘bump, bump, bump’ on the back of your head is what Lent is all about? Particularly, if like me, you have recently failed at your New Year Resolutions and your heart (if not head) is not already a little dismayed at the prospect of more head-banging? Sometimes wrestling with Lenten Devotions can seem a little daunting, if not frightening; and, after all, what sort of person deliberately puts themselves in a place where they know they will be going ‘bump, bump, bump’ on the back of their head?
As Lent, with its yearly promise of Spiritual Spring-Cleaning approaches, I find sometimes I can be tempted to take the easy option. Slip into a familiar ritual, pick up the occasional Lent Lecture, attend only one or two extra times of worship, instead of going all out on a Full-Fat Lent. After all I know how much my routine Lent devotions will ‘cost’ me and am able to eke out my ‘treasure’ to survive until Easter Day.
But then I get honest with myself, as well as (I hope) with The One Who Loves us Best and realise that to live Lent fully and properly I don’t just have to give up various bad habits or even take on some good disciplines. I have to, each of us, must learn to give up on ‘me’ and at the same time take on the task of revealing the ‘me’ whose name has been cherished by God before we were born. This giving ‘me’ away so that I can find ‘me’ is not an easy task and I know, if I begin to try to get serious I am in for a time of ‘head-banging.’
This task is difficult to accomplish alone. We, part of the frightened little flock of the Good Shepherd, need others to help us journey along the road. People with all sorts of names, from all sorts of backgrounds, and with all sorts of characteristics and quirks. Small apparently insignificant people like Piglet, and ‘wise’ people such as Owl, caring parents like Kanga mothering the Roo inside each of us, bouncing Tiggers, and yes even the gloomy Eeyores can, if we but let them, help us face the ‘bump bump bump’ of our journey Godward.
To Pray:
I am not eager,
bold
or strong
– all that is past.
I am ready not to do,
At last, at last!
(St Peter Canisius)
To Do:
- Amongst all the Lent Devotions you have already planned swap one out for something that you do not usually do.
- Look at your list of people for whom you pray each day and ensure that there are at least 40 names or situations on it. From tomorrow deliberately pray your list every day of Lent.
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Twitter as @SuffolkVicar, and on my public Facebook page Rev Andrew Dotchin
If you would like them as a daily email please send a request to vicar@felixparish.com
Acknowledgements:
Text from ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ by A.A. Milne copyright © The Trustees of the Pooh Properties.
Line illustrations copyright © The Estate of E.H. Shepard.
Colouring of the illustrations copyright © 1970 and 1973 The Estate of E.H. Shepard and HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Prayers are from ‘The Little Book of Prayers’ edited by David Schiller copyright © David Schiller 1996: Workman Publications.
Scripture quotations are copyright © New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
These Reflections, ‘Hunny! 40 Days in the 100 Aker Wood’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2024
Suffolk Vicar 
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