The pancakes are all eaten, and we’ve entered Lent. These six weeks leading up to Easter are a time of earnest obedience and preparation for the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter. From its start last week on Ash Wednesday until its conclusion on Easter Sunday, Lent has been a traditional time for fasting or giving something up. Just as we carefully prepare for events in our personal lives, as a wedding, or birthday, Lent invites us to make our hearts and minds ready for Easter and to recommit ourselves to follow Christ.
This year we are joining with the Church of England’s Lent focus, caring for God’s creation. We will be exploring the urgent need for us to value and protect the abundance God has created. We have three great guest speakers lined up for our evening services. Each week we’ll be looking at a different aspect of the creation story in Genesis 1. Jo Chamberlain (National Environment Officer for the Church of England) is speaking on 8th March on the theme of water. On 15th March Catherine Stevenson will be talking about how to make realistic and practical changes at home to be more environmentally aware. And on 29th March Sarah Robinson (Asst Director of Hope for the Future) will be sharing from her experience of being involved in campaigning for political action on climate change. Do consider coming to our 6pm services during Lent even if you do not normally come along on Sunday evenings.
Do join with us for our 40 day challenge. Pick up a booklet from church, or even better, sign up for the app. Perhaps you could try out a small group or read our Lent book by Ruth Valerio. Why not take the opportunity to connect with the beauty of God’s Creation on the women’s walk in the peaks (Angels in Dirty Boots) on 21st March. Or encourage clothing sustainability by coming to the clothes swap on 26th March, or the Proms for All and All for Prom event on 5th April. More details about each of these are on the website, in the notice sheet, or at the back of church. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. Gen 1.31.