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March 26

Dear Friends,

 In the month of March, we almost always find ourselves in the season of lent. I wonder if that is something you notice or if it passes you by? We might think of lent as just being a time to give something up, but there are plenty of other things that we are invited to think about during this season.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, where we gather together and share holy communion and receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads in ash. The ash is made of the palm crosses that we save from the previous Easter. Why ash? For many years and even as early as the time of the Old Testament, ash was a sign of mourning and penitence. For example, people would put ashes on their faces to signify that they were in a period of mourning a loved one. We use ash on Ash Wednesday as a reminder that the things we do wrong, both to ourselves and others, should be a cause of grief to us. But we are also reminded of the goodness of God, his love and his never ending forgiveness.

Lent is also a time for learning and acts of service. Every year, we take part in a lent course with the other churches in our team. This year we are thinking about what it means to share our faith with those around us. We are meeting every Thursday evening in the parish centre at church at 7:30. You are welcome to join us at any time, whether you are a church member or not.

At Café Church Extra last month, everyone who came got a ‘lent bingo’ card which suggested a task for each day. Sometimes that was reading the Bible or finding a few minutes to pray, but more often it was an act of service. People were invited to put something aside for the foodbank, or to find a way of being kind to someone else.

So lent is not just about giving things up and being penitent, but also about growing in faith and serving the world around us. I wonder what God might be inviting you into this lent?

With my prayers and best wishes,

Rev’d Christie