We are here to help people love and worship God. We aim to be, and encourage others to become, committed and active disciples of Jesus,
who love God and worship him, who know the power of the Holy Spirit and who show God’s love in every part of their lives.
Easter is late this year, it falls on Sunday 20th April; this means that Lent starts later than usual too. Ash Wednesday is on the 5th of March. People are already asking what am I going to give up for Lent - will it be chocolate or alcohol; perhaps I will give up buying books and CDs this year!
We associate Lent with fasting, with denying ourselves pleasures. Others combine it with a post-Christmas diet. Some, though, speak of ‘taking something on’ for Lent. It may be a daily act of kindness to a stranger, some spiritual reading or more time for prayer.
Whatever we do, we tend to associate Lent with ideas of self-discipline, denial and penitence. It does not immediately strike us as a ‘happy season’! And yet, as I thought about Lent and my own preparations, I was taken with the idea of Lent as good news; Lent as a hopeful season.
What I mean by this is that what Lent says, with its fasting and its spiritual disciplines is that change is possible. I can change - we can change. We are not defined by our past. We are not imprisoned by choices or decisions we have made. The person that we used to be, the person that we are today, does not have to determine who we will be for ever.
This is what at heart Lent is all about. Making changes to the way we act and speak and live. Aiming to be a better person, trying to become more the person that we were made to be, the person that we are called to be. Past mistakes and failures can be forgiven and redeemed.
The key word for Lent is ‘repent.’ Sadly repentance has long been associated with feelings of guilt and shame, but what the word in the original Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament means is ‘change of mind,’ or better the ‘transformation of the heart.’
And so, even though it is only a few days away, I do not know what I will be giving up or taking on for Lent this year. Instead I will spend time in prayer on Ash Wednesday, trying to discern what in my life needs to change. What past actions I need to ask forgiveness for, what habits I need to transform.
The question that I will be meditating on is what changes can I make to be more fully human, more the person that God made me to be, or as St Paul would put it, more Christlike?
I invite you to a prayerful and joyful and above all hopeful Lent this year.
God bless,
Tim
St. Mary’s Ecclesfield Vacancy Church Wardens
We are pleased to announce that we are recruiting church wardens.
If you would like to take a keener role within our church, contributing to the vital spiritual, pastoral and mission work of St. Mary’s, please speak with Tim.
We are looking to recruit 4 volunteer church wardens, who besides having important legal duties, will help with the smooth running of the church.
Key activities which will be shared amongst the wardens, include.
To be considered for the role you must be over 21 years of age, baptised and on the parish electoral role, not disqualified by the Charities Commission and be willing to undergo DBS checks.
The election and start date are at the Annual General Meeting on Sunday 27th April.
For more information please speak to Tim
St Mary's Church, Priory Road, Ecclesfield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S35 9XZ, United Kingdom
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