All Minister's Letters

Mar 2008	They Met at Calvary
Apr 2008	Keeping the Easter Rumour Alive
May 2008	The Way to Pentecost
Jun 2008	Where our Unity lies
Jul 2008	The Californian Redwood
Sep 2008	"Dwight L. Moody, 1837-99"
Oct 2008	Nine Marks of a Good Church
Nov 2008	Mammon
Dec 2008	Advent and the Evangelists
Mar 2009	A Pattern for Lent
Apr 2009	We have seen His Glory
May 2009	Witnesses To The Resurrection
Jun 2009	The Holy Trinity

Minister's Letter - March 2009

A Pattern for Lent

A PATTERN FOR LENT

Theory and Practice

The 40 days of Lent are in part our opportunity to consider the priorities of our life and life-style just as Jesus did during his 40 days of temptation in the desert.

However the original purpose of Lent was a solemn season of preparation to enable Christians to enter more fully into the great events of Holy Week and Easter.

This is why there are significant stages to Lent as the meaning of the Way of the Cross and the mystery of the Resurrection unfold.

STAGE ONE:: Lent begins with the great Act of Penitence on Ash Wednesday at Holy Communion and is followed by the scriptures, hymns, prayers and preaching of the First, Second and Third Sundays of Lent.
STAGE TWO:: The Fourth Sunday of Lent is a half-way Refreshment’ Sunday – Mothering Sunday – after which we enter into the two great Sundays of the Passion of Christ – Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday.
STAGE THREE:: We are then in Holy Week in which time begins to stand still for the Monday – Tuesday – and Wednesday. On Maundy Thursday evening we are on the threshold of the Great Three Days - Good Friday – Holy Saturday – and Easter Day.

The full joy of Eastertide yields it greatest benefit to those who have identified themselves with Christ in the Way of the Cross carefully observing all the solemn 40 days of Lent.

But on each day of Lent we can make small personal sacrifices as we enter into the discipline that Our Lord undertook in the desert and on the way to Easter victory.

This Lent we are issued with two challenges.

(1) WATER AID

At the beginning of Lent everyone associated with our congregation is invited to have at home AN ORDINARY JAM JAR to which they affix the self-adhesive label WATER AID Jars of Change for Jars of Water.

Each day we are invited to place ‘our change’ in the jar. On Easter Day or one of the subsequent Sundays we bring back the contents of the jar in the envelope provided and hand them in to the vestry for the stewards or treasurer to hand in to the minister. (Filling in the details on the envelope is optional. But please read the information!)

(2) IDEAS FOR A CARBON FAST FOR LENT

How big is your carbon footprint?

Why not try and reduce it this Lent by giving up or taking one or more of the following?

Go vegetarian, or only eat meat on Sundays*
Go for organic, seasonal, locally produced food (Keep both these up all year, and each person would avoid at least a tonne of CO2 emissions.)
Cut down car miles: lift-share, use bus/train, walk, cycle (Avoiding about 3000 miles by car would also avoid about a tonne of CO2 emissions.)
Wear warm clothes indoors and heat the house less
Swap those old light bulbs for energy-saving ones
Switch off lights when you leave a room
Don’t leave things on standby
Buy less stuff and keep using and repairing the stuff you already have (unless it’s energy inefficient, of course)
Gently remind others if they are wasting energy
‘Go on pilgrimage’ (by coach) to Coventry Cathedral and take part in the Christian Aid/CAFOD Day of Action on Climate Change (19 March) – see p. 14.

Norman Wallwork