Palm crosses do not burn easily, even though they are always a year old.

I have found that it is best to put them in a sturdy roasting pan in the oven on a high heat until they turn darker brown in colour. I do this until the house smells like burning palm. It’s a scent I do not recommend to the faint hearted.

After about 30 minutes of roasting, I take them outside and light one or possibly two matches and have a fairly instant fire, which is very satisfying.

When the fire dies down, I leave the embers for another half hour and bring the whole project inside. I spend the rest of the day crunching up the ashes into a fine dust whenever I pass by them: a strangely peaceful activity.

Finally, I add a bit of holy oil and voila! Ash for Ash Wednesday, which was on March 5 this year.

And so Lent begins again, running up to April 17 this year.

Lent is a season of reflecting on our lives, saying sorry and trying again to live in love and to be faithful to God.

‘Praying for our broken world.’ That’s the strap line for our Easter card this year. Maybe you have seen one of these already.

In reality, we don’t have to look far to see the brokenness that surrounds us. From the ongoing war in Ukraine and its far-reaching consequences to the enduring crisis in Gaza—whether it is an aftermath or a continuing conflict—the world bears witness to deep divisions and suffering. It is clear that we can somehow do much better than this.

And yet, I see so much hope around us in this place. The network of volunteers, the projects and charities which support and love people one by one, the generosity and creativity shown by individuals with time and things and compassion. It is all here. And somehow this pendulum between pain and hope has always been operating throughout all time.

May we be people of hope. May God bless you as we journey through Lent together.

Revd Sandy Clarke, The Bourne and Tilford