From Rev Stephen Andrews March 2020

On Ash Wednesday we reached that special season of Lent when we were all invited by God to “Return to him with our whole heart”  (Joel 2:12)

 
Lent is that time in the church calendar when we self-examine and face our temptations with courage and openness. The invitation from God to “return to him” is personal, and so Lent is a really good time for a thorough health check to ensure that we are taking proper care of ourselves and the life that God has entrusted to us
 
It’s during Lent that we remember how Jesus overcame many things and had to open himself to the reality of being human, and one of the consequences of being human is that in testing times we are often pushed to the limit. Jesus would have known that feeling, and I’m sure he would have felt absolutely exhausted by this time of testing
 
So, it’s during the season of Lent, that we will find ourselves experiencing challenging times, it’s part of the self-examination and realignment process that we as Christians are expected to go through – I’d go as far as to say it’s an absolute requirement
 
But let’s not be afraid to be challenged during Lent, and not be afraid to look at different ways of doing things. Perhaps we want to make changes to our prayer life, the way we study scripture, or perhaps we need to look more closely at our calling and obligations as followers. Lent is certainly a time when we should be carrying out a personal review of priorities and commitments, and especially looking closely at our personal invitations from God to “return to him with our whole heart”
 
During this season of Lent, may we all have the courage to be challenged, to come apart if only a tiny bit – and may we embrace the many opportunities to expand our witness to the Good News of Jesus our master and friend
 
Fr Stephen
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

as published in Great Yarmouth Parish Life

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