Lent began on 14th February. How are you marking this important phase of the church year? For many it’s a question of giving up something. This may be a hang-over from the days when everyone would be expected to give up meat, but today we can also consider it a time simply to consume less: television, electronic gadgetry, coffee…
Some advocate the taking on of something, rather than giving up: daily
reading of the Bible if you don’t already; walking to work; a daily
random act of kindness to others.
Whatever your chosen ‘Lent thing’, is it something you make known to
all, or is it something you try to do quietly without others noticing?
Jesus took himself to the desert and faced temptation alone. That may
work for some. Others may need a little moral support along the way,
and find it helpful for their self-appointed challenge to be known. And
what’s your view on the ‘Sundays don’t count’ rule? (I’ve never really
understood that one.)
Whatever you have chosen as your way to mark this period of Lent, I
leave you with a piece from the URC Prayer Handbook for this year,
written by Stephen Ansa-Addo:
During this season, we ask for the strength to resist temptation,
comfort in life’s challenges and a closer relationship with you in times
of trial. As we journey with Jesus through his suffering, death and
resurrection, may your Holy Spirit transform us into a people of hope
and grace, sharing your love with others and walking in righteousness.
Amen.
Taken from the March edition of The Record