Friday, February 21, 2020

Lent Letter

LENT LEAFLET 2020

Wednesday 25th is Ash Wednesday and the start of the Season of Lent. As we have done in the past, we are trying to make this traditional season as meaningful as possible.

Below is an article about Lent and how to get the most out of the season. Please have a read through it. Last year we challenged you not merely to give something up for Lent, but to add acts of meaningful service. This year we're asking you to continue with the focus of service, but also to concentrate on some of your core-relationships.

Consider the following challenges in the relationships that are applicable to your life:

  • Spouses: Are you doing all you can to be a Christ-like spouse for your wife/husband? Do you pray for them? How can you renew and deepen your relationship?

  • Parents: Enjoy your children! Spend time with them. Pray for them, and while they're young, pray with them (and try and keep that up throughout life). How can you affirm them and encourage them? Are you setting a good example?

  • Children: Take time to affirm your parents, show love, respect and gratitude. Listen to their wisdom and be forgiving of their mistakes.

  • Friendships: How can you be a good friend and nurture friendships that are life-giving and fulfilling?

  • Work: Do you work to live or live to work? It should always be more of the former. Pray for wisdom, courage and strength to keep a balance, be a witness and glorify God in the work place. Give God your stress and strain and pray for your colleagues.

  • Your Neighbourhood: This isn't only your physical neighbourhood, but your circle of influence. Pray that God uses you to shine His light. This includes being of service to others (and therefore also to God).

  • Your environment: Fasting is also about restraint and replenishment.
    How can you look after the environment? Waste less. Pollute less. Consume less. Aim for sustainability, re-use and clean and heal your environment.

  • Other: Which other significant relationships can you take to "the next level" as you consider what Jesus did for us on the cross?

In conclusion:
Almost everyone I speak to is feeling the strain of over-full programmes and the frenetic pace at which almost everyone seems to be running. Some of us become cranky when we fast – this is counter-productive!

Let's let Lent be a gentle, thoughtful and blessed time where we draw near to God and are a blessing to others. We can make a difference by taking the time to encourage, compliment, thank and appreciate the people around us.

An anxious heart weighs a person down,
but a kind word cheers them up. (Proverbs 12:25)

Let your words, written and spoken, add this kind of value to others…

What is Lent?

It is based on the 40 days that Jesus fasted in the wilderness at the beginning of His public ministry. (Sundays are not counted, so Lent is actually 46 days long)

During the second century it became customary to baptise all converts on Easter Sunday. During those ages of persecution and martyrdom, they had to be thoroughly prepared for the confession of their faith and for their challenging walk with the Lord.

These preparations lasted 40 days – not counting Sundays. Fasting and Prayer played an important role alongside the teaching the converts would receive during this time.

After a while, other Church members felt the need to repeat the course. This season, always during the European Spring, became the Lenten Season of the Church as Lent is Latin for Spring. Lent reaches its climax on Good Friday and ends with the Celebration of Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

There are two important aspects to Lent:

  • Penitence: We realise our own brokenness and our need for Christ.

  • Preparation: We strive to open our hearts wider for the celebration of Easter.

During Lent there are three tasks: Pray, Fast and Give.

  • Prayer is about Preparing our Hearts, becoming more aware of God's love and goodness. It's not just about rituals but relationship.

  • Fasting doesn't only have to be about food. It's any kind of addition to or subtraction from our lives that sharpens our focus on God.

  • Giving is about making a difference in the lives of others.

The idea around Lent is that we add to and subtract from our lives so that we don't just move forward but God-ward. Traditionally there are three directions for our "fasting" to take:

  1. God (through prayer, reflection and action)

  2. Ourselves (through the creation of good habits or breaking bad ones)

  3. Others (through charity and kindness)


So, here are some examples:

  • Give up sugar or coffee and use the "cravings" as a reminder to think about and devote yourself to God.

  • Set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier for devotions or exercise.

  • Reduce your TV hours and use the time to read a good devotional book or to spend quality time with your family.

  • Volunteer some time to help at a charitable organisation or do something to help the poor and needy.

  • Come to church more regularly or join a fellowship group for the 6 weeks

Where does Shrove Tuesday fit in?

In many Christian traditions people would abstain from rich foods during this fast time. As Wednesday is the start of Lent, Tuesday would be used as a day to use up the "rich" foods (eggs, butter, oil, milk, etc) in the house. Pancakes serve this purpose very well! Also, Jesus reminded His disciples that they should not look mournful when they fasted and so the church found it fitting to start a fast with a feast!

Ash Wednesday

Job 42:5-6. Job says to God: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."

Ash Wednesday is primarily a day of repentance – of sorrow because of what our sins do to God, His work and those around us.

According to the Bible, repentance consists of:

• a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness;

• an expectation of God's grace and mercy in Christ

• an actual hatred of sin

• turning from sin to God

• seeking a holy life by persistent effort, obediently walking with God.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation but worldly sorrow brings death. (2Cor7:10)

In the very traditional observation of Ash Wednesday, worshippers come forward to confess and repent of their sin in silent prayer. They are marked with the sign of the cross, using a paste of ash and olive oil. The ash represents the sorrow and contriteness we feel over our sin. The olive oil represents joy, blessing and consecration which is the work of the Holy Spirit. We are marked with the sign of the cross to remind us that it is Christ who saves us.

Often as they are marked, the priest or elder will say "Your sins are forgiven – go and sin no more."

Ash Wednesday starts the "Fasting" of Lent on the right foot – we realise how badly we need God.

In Conclusion – Don't only Subtract...

This year our challenge to everyone is that we don't only subtract, but add. What do I mean? Many people give up things for Lent: Coffee, Facebook, Shaving, Media, Sugar, etc. This year we'd like to challenge you to add service! This Lent we'd love to see our members using Lent to make a difference in the world. For example:

  • Set aside daily/weekly time to walk around your neighbourhood (or a greenbelt) picking up litter.

  • Make a decision to write 1 or 2 encouraging letters to people around you each week.

  • Think of a few lonely people to visit over Lent.

  • Choose to work with a charity project or an outreach project, making a difference for the poor and needy.

  • Help raise funds for a needy cause.

  • Offer to help with admin at a charity

  • Offer lifts to people without transport.

  • When you make your or your kids' lunch sandwiches, make an extra set and hand them out to someone in need. (Or buy some tins of food (with ring pulls) to hand out)

  • Go and scrub cages at an animal shelter

  • Actively work on the relationships listed at the start of this leaflet...

This can be a powerful thing for families. Sit down together with your family and come up with a Lent Plan to do some things that will make a difference and remember that Jesus calls us to do this discreetly "not letting our left hand know what the right is doing."

Lent is a wonderful time to prepare for Easter, but sometimes I worry that we over-spiritualise it and are too self-centred. In these tough times let us actively choose "not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom12:21).

We hope that your Lent experience will be a profound one.

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