Howard Writes

"Giving God More Space in our lives."

Last week (29th January) with Bishop Mark, we welcomed the Reverend Paul Pritchard as our new “Curate-in-charge” and also launched the New Mission Community, which comprises St James Thornham, St Mary’s High Crompton, Holy Trinity Shaw and St James East Crompton with St Saviours.

We pray that Paul’s time in East Crompton may be a time of growth and development, as we take our place with our partner Churches in this new chapter in the life of our Parish and of the diocese. I also urge you to give him your love and make him truly welcome in our parish.

By the time this letter is published, Lent will be just around the corner (Ash Wednesday is on 22nd February). Lent lasts for about seven weeks and historically it was a time when candidates were prepared for baptism on Easter Eve, so that they could make their first communion on Easter Day. Nowadays the Church invites us to observe Lent with these words:

Brothers and sisters in Christ, since early days Christians have observed with great devotion the time of our Lord’s passion and resurrection and prepared for this by a season of penitence and fasting.

By carefully keeping these days, Christians take to heart the call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel, and so grow in faith and in devotion to our Lord. I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a Holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word.” (from the Ash Wednesday service)

In other words, Lent should be a time of spiritual discipline. This doesn’t mean that it has to be unpleasant or miserable but it does require us to be honest with ourselves about the things which lead us away from, rather than towards God and also to make space for God.

Modern society encourages us to be self-reliant and to make good well-judged decisions that will be beneficial for ourselves, our families and our society.

We have almost been conned into believing that society can succeed by its own efforts, and, with enough time, all the problems of the world can be solved, as people behave better, both towards themselves and towards each other.

Christianity, on the other hand, has always taught that we must rely upon God’s guidance in how we live our lives. Yes, we can do a great deal by being more considerate to other people and by cultivating good habits, but we must not make the mistake in thinking that we can make the world whole again by human efforts alone.

Immanuel Kant, the great German philosopher, saw the truth of this when he said, “Out of the crook-ed timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made.”

We delude ourselves if we believe that politics, sociology and economics can provide permanent solutions to the world’s troubles, when the real problem lies within people’s hearts. However, that is not to say that we do not have the capacity to do good as well as evil.

To keep a Holy Lent means that we have to take the decision to give God more space in our lives, for it is he alone who can help us in our spiritual journey to-wards holiness. We therefore have to wait upon God by giving Him time which is devoted just to Him and nothing else. We don’t go to Him with our list of requests but with ears that are open to what he wants to make clear to us.

The prophet Isaiah saw the importance of this so clearly as a process of gaining strength:

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

The time that we give to God could be just ten minutes each day when we can be in quiet solitude. It could be attending the Lent Course, which will be a shared course within the Mission Community, or just choosing to have “The Pleasure of God’s Company” for an hour on Sunday evenings at St Saviour’s at 6.30pm)

In our Lenten services, we are reminded that we live in a fallen world and also of what it cost God to redeem humanity. As Christians, we believe that only God has the power to save the world from sin and death.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

This great love, which is beyond our human understanding, is a love which gives rather than takes. It is also a love which is unconditional. God does not say to us, “I’ll love you if you change your ways,” or “I’ll give my Son to die for your sins if you promise to love me.”

The apostle Paul makes this important point in his letter to the Romans;

“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

He loved us when we were unlovable. We can only appreciate that love if we spend time contemplating it. Then and only then will we begin to grow spiritually.

May we receive the love of God in our hearts and respond in our service to others.

Howard.

We therefore have to wait upon God by giving Him time which is devoted just to Him and nothing else…"