17th February – Time for new beginnings
Forty days and forty nights
you were fasting in the wild;
forty days and forty nights
tempted and yet undefiled.
Saviour, may we hear your voice;
keep us constant at your side;
and with you we shall rejoice
at the eternal Eastertide.
StF 236 v1&6
In our country Spring is the time of the year when new growth and life appear after the long harsh months of winter. It is a time of hope, aspiration and expectation, and a promise of new life for all. Lent is also a time of new beginnings so for us they seem to go hand in hand.
New beginnings can start with repentance. This may be an active, positive attitude that can effect real and deep changes or recognize wrong which can be put right, or maybe just to decide we will live differently.
Ash Wednesday was the first day of Lent which lasts for forty days (not including Sundays) and will take us to Easter Sunday. These commemorate the forty days of fasting by Christ in the wilderness. So, Lent is an opportunity to reflect on our journey of faith. It can be a time of self-denial, almsgiving, prayer and fasting. It can also be a time of accepting that God’s goodness is greater than our badness and his forgiving love can set us free.
We pray:
God of all majesty and power who spoke and the world was, who breathed and the world lived,
who created us and gave us life, who sees our hearts and reads our thoughts,
you are more gracious than we can imagine, more holy that we will ever grasp,
and your presence humbles us.
As we contemplate the wonder and perfection of your being,
we call to mind our imperfections and our weaknesses, our faults and our failings.
We let you down in so many ways, and we go on making the same mistakes.
Forgive us Lord, for the unkind words we have said, the thoughtless actions we have done,
and the unworthy thoughts that deny our faith.
Open our hearts to your redeeming touch, and forgive us, cleanse us,
renew and restore us, and help us to live in such a way that our words and actions
are seen as one, and our faith is seen as real.
Amen.
Kathryn Newton
Liz Chick – Area Trustee Southampton & Channel Islands
