One of the traditions in our house over many years has been the Simnel cake, ideally we would have it on Mothering Sunday, but in honesty, I am seldom organized enough to hit that target and more often than not it has been Easter Day before the Simnel Cake has been ready to eat. I have always enjoyed baking and this is one of the cakes that I find difficult to get spot on and that is, I believe down to the layer of marzipan baked in the middle of the cake. If the cake is over baked it becomes dry and crumbly, under baked and it can sink and with a gentle polish to my ego I would say that getting it spot on is a skill built up over the years. In honesty, we have endured eating the failures as well as the successes.
The still apparently to good stand up comedy is all about timing and that is true in so many walks of life. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday and as Christians we embark on our journey once again through Holy Week and on through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to Easter. Today is often referred to as “Passion Sunday” in the Christian calendar and it is a day when we reflect on the importance of the Passion of Christ. In the set Bible Reading from St John’s Gospel today, Jesus is quoted as saying “the hour has now come” and it is almost as though he has insider knowledge about what lies ahead in the next stage of his journey in ministry.
We are at a point in life when suddenly time seems to be of paramount importance. Across the country the number of people being infected by the Covid virus appears to be dropping, the numbers of people hospitalized nationally had dropped by eighty percent since mid January and over twenty five million people have been vaccinated, many now receiving their second dose. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but perfect timing is now imperitive, we move forward slowly, taking each step, only when we are confident that the time is right. There is a huge temptation with my Simnel Cake to take it out of the oven before it has properly cooked and the result is nothing short of disasterous, in much the same way we might regret rushing to return to normal.
Following are some words from Graham Kendrick that can be used as a prayer.
In your way and in your time
That’s how it’s gonna be in my life
And in your perfect way I’ll rest my weary mind
And as you lead, I’ll follow close behind
And in your presence I will know your peace is mine
In your time there is rest, there is rest
In your way and in your time
That’s how it’s gonna be in my life
Dear Jesus, soothe me now till all my strivings cease
kiss me with the beauty of your peace
And I will wait and not be anxious at the time
In your time there is rest, there is rest
And though some prayers I’ve prayed
May seem unanswered yet
You never come too quickly or too late
And I will wait and I will not regret the time
In your time there is rest, there is rest
Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1976 Thankyou Music
