Lent in the lectionary this year begins on 14th February with Ash Wednesday, which for Christians is the start of the Lenten season, of prayer, sacrifice and penance.
Matthew 6: 1-4 Giving to the Needy
1.“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with
trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left
hand know what your right hand is doing. 4. So that your giving may be in secret. Then you’re Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
There are so many people in need these days and it can be quite overwhelming. What are their needs? Most require more of something. You may say, “What is, this something”? It is bound to be something that has to be purchased or paid for with money.” Sometimes the needy, in our present day society need
time to be listened to, someone to hear what they are truly saying or feeling.
During Lent it is a time to evaluate what your Christian values really are. I myself have never wrapped myself in sack cloth nor covered myself in ashes. I know that in the Catholic Church they have a time during the Ash Wednesday service when each person comes forward, to have the priest make the sign of the cross on their forehead with ashes; as a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice for them.
As a young child I was quite afraid of the time of Lent/Easter; as I recall it now. The church, where our family worshiped, was blacked out with dark cloths at the windows. No lights were on in this ancient building. The cross was covered in a purple cloth and there were candles on the Communion table. Most people attending Services during Easter dressed in dark colours. Women wore black hats and the men took their hats off and rested them on their laps. People in the pews showed no emotion. (That was in keeping with the times.)
Of course these days we realise that there is hope from the Christian Easter Story. One of gratefulness, that Jesus made the true sacrifice to cleanse us all from our sins. It is also a time when we have personal reasons for becoming a Christian, and also a time for renewing our own faith. It is not
an easy journey and as humans we tend to stray and it sometimes takes a tragedy to bring us back to our belief in God.
I have used Andrew Gammon’s words from his Ten Minutes on a Tuesday material for 24th February 2013. He says that the “Christian life must be embodied in lives not laws.” He also says that “most people will only understand what it means to be a Christian by seeing an example of a Christian, rather than by reading the Bible”. He says “that it doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect examples who will always get
it right.” He thinks it will be “the way we react when we do make mistakes like admitting to them, asking the persons forgiveness or making amends.” He also says “it is one of the most powerful ways we
can be an example to others.” (Permission granted to publish)
If you read 1 Peter chapter 1: it is full of praise for the Lord and with life full of expectation. Peter tells us that we have a priceless inheritance to look forward to and, it is through our faith, that God is protecting us. Peter encourages us to believe in Gods power and salvation and to be truly glad. The trials that we go through we do not have to go through alone.
A Prayer from St Dionysius of Alexandria, c. 190-265
“O God of peace, good beyond all that is good, in whom is calmness and harmony,
heal the dissensions that divide us from one another,
and bring us into unity of love in you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Gay Gordon
February 2024