Canon Hilary Barber: Celebration of Plough Sunday

By Canon Hilary Barber, Vicar of Halifax Minster

For the Christian community Epiphany ends at Candlemas (February 2) when Jesus is presented in the Temple, and Simeon and Anna, in their old age, recognise who Jesus is, as the long awaited Messiah.

This year Easter Day lands on March 31, almost as early as it can be. Hence Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent lands on Valentine’s Day February 14.

In the Minster this year we have decided to rebrand Lent and Holy Week as a Festival of Faith, with an outward focus on drawing people into the Minster who might otherwise not step foot inside.

The Festival will include lots of music and concerts, a film night, a sermon series on Sunday mornings by the bishops of the Diocese, and some public conversations, between Smitha Prasadam, the new bishop of Huddersfield, and some interesting people.

There is always a danger of the Church talking to itself, and these series of conversations look to draw people into the Minster like a fly on the wall. Some of our visitors include Zara Mohammed, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms MP – chair of the All Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, and Major General Zac Stenning, commandant of the academy at Sandhurst and colonel of the Yorkshire Regiment. All these people live interesting lives and are people of faith with things to say and share.

Hopefully in the Festival there will be something of interest for everyone.

Last week in the Minster we kept Plough Sunday as we welcomed Calderdale Young Farmers and the National Farmers Union to the morning service. This is the time for preparing the land and for sowing seed.

Here in Calderdale much agriculture is hill farming. As you walk into the Minster there is a tomb stone with a pair of shears carved into the stone – reminding us that the textile industry was going strong even in the tenth century, long before The Piece Hall was even built.

Farming has been badly affected by the emergency climate change across the world, with both flooding and extreme heat and forest fires. Even here in the Pennines we have experienced significant flooding and during the Pandemic we saw interruptions to the food chain from imported food, and empty supermarket shelves.

Much discussion continues about the UK becoming much more self-reliant both for food and energy. Whilst the availability of food seems to have currently been restored, it remains a very sad reflection on society that food banks have become normal in most towns and cities across the nation.

Farmers not only provide food for us to eat, but they help to manage the land as well, essential if we are to reduce our carbon foot print and restore and protect the environment for future generations.

In the Minster we are working towards becoming an Eco Church, playing our bit to support the Councils Climate Action Plan, what will you do to play your part?