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Barkingside New Hope Fellowship |
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Bringing Hope to Barkingside |
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Lent—what is it really all about? |
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First the word. In normal English it means something someone has borrowed from us. Musicians will know that there is a musical direction, lento, which means “slowly”. I suppose you could say that this period in the church’s year seems to go very slowly. In fact it comes from the Anglo-Saxon lencten, which refers to the Spring because it is during that season of the year that the days get longer. Second, the traditions. A lot of nonsense is talked about “giving things up for lent”. Overweight people regard it as a good time to go on a diet, people heavily in debt find it a good occasion to stop impulse buying and thereby help their credit card balances to become somewhat more manageable. This is all very good but it has very little to do with Jesus. So, what has Jesus got to do with Lent? In short – everything! Lent is the period of six weeks that comes before Good Friday and Easter. On Good Friday Jesus gave His life so that we might be restored to the purpose for which we were created – fellowship with Him in the family of God. Jesus’s ministry lasted 3 years and He prepared for it by fasting, praying and being tested in the desert. Similarly, during Lent we prepare ourselves by looking at the areas in our lives where we continue to fall short of His glory. If this is seen in gluttony and reckless spending then we would do well to cut down on our eating and buying, but what we do during Lent is more important than what we stop doing. For example, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, fast and give to the poor (Matthew 6:1-18). Do we? When did we last have a really satisfying, in depth chat with our Father in heaven? Was it more like a shopping list of wants, or falling asleep as we prayed before (or after) getting into bed? Also, when did we last give something to benefit those who are more disadvantaged than we are? Was it ‘sacrificial’ giving – or a few coins that we found in our pockets or purses? And have we ever been so concerned about something that we skipped a meal or two and spent that time bringing it to God in prayer? Lent begins on February 6th this year. If we haven’t yet thought about our preparation for Easter, then why don’t we base it on the teachings of Jesus that I have just outlined. However if we do, remember not to tell everyone about it, “for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1) Christopher Reeve Pastor
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© 2008 Barkingside New Hope Fellowship |