This is the text of my article in the Parish Magazine:
Now is a good time to think about how we might observe Lent.
This is a season in the church’s year which we can use to simplify our lives
and consider our priorities in relation to God and neighbour.
In relation to God: we might want to develop our experience
of prayer, in which case I commend the Prayer Course that has just started on
Thursdays; or you might join one of our existing small groups that will be
entering into the stories of people who met Jesus, through bible study and
meditative prayer. You might want to read the bible more, in which case you may
need to give up some time you spend on social media or watching the TV… or just
get up a bit earlier.
In relation to your neighbour: you might consider helping
one person every day during Lent. Look around and ask God to show you where and
who you could help. But try to resist the temptation to tell everyone about it
on Facebook or Twitter – it’s enough that God knows.
Traditionally, the forty days of Lent is related to the
forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness before starting his ministry. That
time of testing reminds us that Jesus has shared our common experience of
temptation and suffering, but he overcame our enemy the devil. We may find that
by giving something up during Lent – time, comfort or a luxury food – that we
enter, in some small way, into that suffering that Jesus experienced – we share
with him as he shares with us.
Let Lent be a blessing and a means by which we can draw closer
to God and the people he loves.
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