Enjoying Lent?
As Lent draws near we notice . . .
- the chocolate adverts on TV will multiply to distract the small proportion of viewers from self-denial for a few weeks.
- the story of Jesus being tempted will be given yet another new slant from the pulpit
- the Mothering Sunday tradition of the 19th century church will join Christmas and Easter as an excuse for social excess rather than church observance
- the alert worshipper will hear the more restrained melodies and minor keys of tradition Lenten hymns
. . . or maybe none of those things. For, for the most part, the world doesn’t notice.
How can you best take up a spiritual discipline for Lent? Ask yourself these questions:
- Does a practice like, say, prayer, force me to slow down and spend some time thinking of God?
- Does a practice like, say, restricting some foods, make me reflect on how ungrateful I have become for all the provisions I usually enjoy?
- Will a habit, like giving away money, remind me of the source of all wealth and well-being, namely God?
- Can I restrict my daily intake of media or entertainment so that i have more time to read my Bible?
- Is there something I can do before regular attendance at church – e.g. intercessions – that would help the ministry team flourish?
- Does my discipline come so easily that it isn’t really a discipline?
- How can my example, quietly performed, inspire others around me to consider the possibility that God is truly real to me?
We hope you have a good Lent, however you choose to observe it. It starts on Ash Wednesday 18th February.