Paul Writes
"What have you given up for Lent?
"This is a very common question in church circles at this time of the year, in fact it goes beyond church circles because many ‘non-church’, even non-Christian people use the season of Lent as a time to give things up. For some it will be a self-endurance challenge, for others the Lenten period offers a set time that helps them to get into the right “head space” for doing something they find challenging, such as losing weight or giving up sugar.
“What have you given up for Lent?”
Certainly, it is something I am asked, particularly so since ordination, and I wonder sometimes whether I am being asked this question as a test of my piety; and why shouldn’t people test me? After all, I stand there and preach every week about this and that, so I deserve to be put to the test! But there are two things that bother me about this question; firstly, it is about an individual, and secondly it is about giving something up instead of doing something.
I wonder if the question ought to be, “what are we doing for Lent?” It strikes me as far more Christ centred, and after all, as Christians we are not approaching this as a test of our endurance or because it gives us a chance to be good; we are surely approaching it as a way of entering more fully into the journey to the cross with our Saviour. The word ‘church’ comes from the Greek word ecclesia which the early Christians took on to describe themselves, and it simply means ‘gathering’, so I think that indicates we do things together, not alone.
This year then, the question on my mind is “what are you doing together as a church for Lent?” It is a much more positive question, a question that draws us in, a question that suggests it is not a personal endurance test. It is about collective and positive action. And is ultimately it is the question that is being considered this year in our Mission Community Lent course that looks at:
I know many people will not be able to commit to joining the course, and that’s okay, but I wonder if as a community, we might all commit to praying for those who are taking part as well asking them how it’s going? I also hope that these questions might help us as we move forward beyond Lent, so the question moves to “what are you doing as a church this year?”.
Every blessing,
Paul.
Howard Writes
"The Season of Lent"
By the time this letter is published, Lent will have started. It began when we met on Ash Wednesday 22nd February at the Mission Community Eucharist, where we received the sign of the cross in ash on our foreheads. Of course outward signs and partaking in the Liturgy are empty actions unless they bring with them a change of heart. Lent is about having that change of heart, where we take action to pray more, to fast and to do acts of service. Doing good things can be catching. To illustrate this point, we need only to think of the situation when another driver lets us out into traffic. A few moments later, when we next have the opportunity to do the same for someone else, we feel almost compelled to act graciously, especially if the person who gave way to us is travelling behind! The world can be made into a better place if we act in a concerted way and create good habits.
Whilst we can do much by cultivating good habits however, we must not make the mistake in thinking that we can make the world whole again by human efforts alone. Immanuel Kant, he great German philosopher, saw the truth of this in his famous quotation,”Out of the crooked 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 problems, 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.
As we approach Holy Week and Easter, we are reminded again both that we live in a fallen world and 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 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.
Christianity is a religion which encourages us to make a response to the love of God. “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19), and we can only show our love for God, by loving our neighbours as ourselves. We don’t show it by joining worship every Sunday and spending long hours in private prayer, but then doing nothing about the needs of our community and the world in which we live. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26b) and that is why it is so important to take positive steps to grow in Christian service. Prayer and worship are of course really important and will strengthen us for the journey, but they are not ends in themselves. One hymn that we shall sing at Easter is “Now is eternal life.” God wants us to be fellow workers with him in building the new kingdom and he calls each of us to begin that work now.
May we receive the love of God in our hearts and respond in Christian service.
Howard.