Groundhog Day
This sermon was first given on our Zoom service on Sunday 14th February 2021, the last Sunday before Lent. The Gospel was Mark 9:2-9 . Today is, of course, Valentine’s Day. But, for my sermon this morning, I’d like to start off by talking about another February tradition; one less well-known in the UK, but widely celebrated in America and Canada. The celebration of Groundhog Day takes place at the beginning of February – on the second of the month. If you’re unaware of the festival, the idea is that, should a groundhog see its shadow when it emerges from its burrow on this day, it will retreat back to its den and winter will persist. If, however, the day is cloudy, and the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring will arrive early. The day became the setting for a cult 90s comedy, starring Bill Murray, also called Groundhog Day – and it’s this film that has really brought the phrase into common parlance. The concept of the film is a man having to repeat the same day, over and over