Are you giving anything up for Lent? I’m not sure there is anything left to give up this year!
Yes, Lent has come upon us once again. Forty days of reflection and preparation before Easter when Christians quite often choose to give something up to practice self-discipline and as a sign of sacrifice. For me that is usually chocolate or wine. Why forty days? Because that is how long Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting, being tempted and preparing for his ministry (Sundays in Lent don’t count!). After his temptation Jesus was cared for by angels.

This year it feels like the whole country has been in the wilderness too. We are all fasting from food shared together and festivities whether we like it or not. It is hard and takes its toll. Where people seemed positive and full of endurance and banana bread in the first lockdown, everyone is worn and weary now. There has been a huge amount of self-discipline to endure for an awfully long time without any Sundays off at all. I am thankful for the sacrifices we have all made to keep each other safe. But I’d like to stop now!

There are signs of hope. I try to remember that Jesus left the wilderness. Lent will end. At some point we can start to enjoy life again. In the meantime, I am holding on to the three things that Jesus brings out in his temptations – that we gain strength from reading God’s word, by worshipping and by trusting God.

So this Lent, I’m going to be spending more time with the Bible, more time thanking God for his blessings and more time trusting in his purpose for my life. And I’m not giving up chocolate or wine. Instead I want to find ways to bring light, joy and hope to my community – to be as near to an angel as I can possibly be!