Thought for the Week - 11th February 2024

Dear Friends, 

This week sees the beginning of the season of Lent in the church calendar as Ash Wednesday marks the 40-day period of prayer, fasting, repentance, moderation, self-denial and spiritual discipline. The purpose of the Lenten season is to set aside some time for reflection on Jesus Christ and to consider his suffering and sacrifice, his life, death, burial and resurrection. Why a 40-day period you may ask? It is based on two episodes of spiritual testing found in the Bible, the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness by the Israelites after the Exodus, and the time of Jesus’ temptations by the Devil in the desert after his baptism. The account of Jesus’ testing in the wilderness reminds us that he fasted forty days and nights, and that he was hungry. That sense of hunger is what we seek over the period of Lent as we seek to come closer to God, to learn more about our own relationship with him, and to discover more about who Jesus is as we slow down and take our time. In an Ash Wednesday sermon preached by the Anglican priest Stephen Cherry, he said, ‘God is always first, always prior, always ahead of us. As R.S. Thomas put it, ours is “such a fast God.” God is certainly faster than we are. And it is because God is fast that we can afford to slow down. A few years ago I encouraged people to give up busyness for Lent. The call is still a serious one. We rush about so much that we are in danger of experiencing everything, but missing the meaning… We underestimate the richness and depth of the present moment as we rush on to the next thing or squeeze in another trivial task or passing pleasure… “What is this life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare?”’ May you find for yourself time to stand and stare during this season of Lent, and may the Lord bless you during this time.

Grace and peace,

Neil   

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