Purposeful Lent

  So, here we are in Lent.  The pancakes have been tossed and eaten; promises have been made about giving up certain personal pleasures until Easter (usually of a chocolate variety) and, in some traditions, churches have removed some of their ornamentation and colour.

  Lent is the period of preparation for the emotional roller coaster of Holy Week and Easter that will take us from the excitement of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, through the solemnity of the Last Supper, into the pain and suffering of Good Friday, before the joy of Easter morning and the Resurrection of Jesus.

  It is wonderful that the church year gives us this space for personal and spiritual preparation but such periods of preparation for the ups and downs of life are often lacking.  Things happen to us and those whom we love often without warning and in ways which leave us puzzled and reeling.  How we wish we had been better prepared - for sickness, mishaps or sudden changes of circumstances.

  But when we consider the matter more closely, we can see that God is preparing us for these moments all of the time, perhaps without us realising it.

  In the ordinariness of life, God remains faithful to us, showing us his love and mercy in so many ways that we know that we can rely on him to be with us when the difficult moments arise.

  Day by day, we are given the opportunity to develop our relationship with him through the reading of the Bible; through worship; prayer, and conversation with others - so that our relationship with him can be fresh and vibrant, no matter what happens.

  Every day, as we look to the resurrection of Jesus, our fear of the future is overcome as we are reminded of the hope that Jesus brings us, showing us that he has overcome all things and, through his death and resurrection, he has given us the promise of eternal life.

  Our reading, thinking and talking through the 40 Days of Purpose during this Lent will help us to understand how God is constantly preparing us for the future as we understand more deeply the purposes he has for our lives.

  Then we will know the power of the words of Philippians 4:13: ‘I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me.’

by Graham Clarke.