Dear friends

Wednesday 22nd February marks the beginning of the Christian Season of Lent. (Did I hear someone say 'Oh no, I've still got 3 boxes of chocolates left over from Christmas, ought to check the best before dates!) 

Yes Lent can have that sort of effect on people. It is indeed a solemn time, as through Lent we reflect upon and prepare ourselves for the events of Holy Week, including of course Good Friday, when Jesus the Son of God, was crucified on the cross. Yet I believe that Lent should be a time that is used fruitfully. The tradition of abstaining is good, it can be a real challenge, but in some ways it can also be rather negative, a chore. We need to think about what we can do positively, to make a difference to our world, starting with the place where we are. When we reflect on the story of Jesus and his passion (the time leading up to his death) we find that he did not hide away but continually did what he could to help and love others, through healing, forgiving  and being a friend. He associated with people that others ignored, for instance he healed a leper, he had time to talk to women and he gave time to children, in those days that was quite unusual. Much of what he did brought nasty and jealous comments.

I wonder what we do when we carry out acts with the best intentions and then get treated badly, do we give in and not bother anymore.

What did Jesus do? If he truly was the Son of God surely he could have retreated, hidden away escaped the challenge of life - but as the true Son of God, he didn't. He had a mission to bring the kingdom of God to the world( The Kingdom of God is the way of peace and love that God so wants for the world that he loves). If you want to read about the story of Jesus turn to the New Testament and the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There you will see how Jesus made a huge difference to the lives of the people around him.

So what can we do this Lent to make a positive difference. To show like Jesus that we care about others and that we are also prepared to be challenged like him and to stand up for the right? Perhaps inviting a neighbour around for coffee, finding out about fairtrade products, saying sorry to someone, reading a story from the gospel about Jesus each day... there are lots of ideas available.

See what you can do – and make a difference to this world today.

God Bless

Rev Michelle