Christmas, Epiphany and the days since now forgotten, we meet the season of lent; self-denial and penitence is the order of the day!

The season of Lent has traditionally been a penitential season in the church where we have reflected on our sinful, wayward lives, and have sought to humble ourselves before the Lord as we confess our sins and make fresh starts. How many times have I not given up fresh cream cakes on Ash Wednesday, only to have to confess my sin of having broken my well intentioned pledge by the 1st Sunday in Lent, just four days later? Perhaps it's time to think on a more spiritual level in Lent, allowing the Lord to do renewal work in our lives.

Does the Church still need Lent?

As we look at the world around us, I'm sure we are all more and more aware of slipping standards in morality, family life and the most breathtaking lack of good role models in our society. The scandal of Parliamentary Expense Claims being falsified, and the presumed lies told by the government on the issue of going to war in Iraq, leaves us wondering what is happening to common honesty and decency! We need Lent...

However, it is maybe too easy to look at the world, in an attempt to deflect the heat of the church. Child abuse scandals, clergy infidelity and a church happily at war with itself are hardly good news stories to the world around us. The church, together with the state, needs a good period of reflection, repentance and renewal.

Again we might want to deflect the heat from our own personal journey of faith by looking with a critical eye at the wider world church; the church is you and me and we must not forget our part in the basket that is 'slipping standards'. We need Lent...

We need Lent more than ever within the Church as a time to challenge us from within; a time to ask questions about how we are doing in terms of;

> bearing the light of the gospel,
> offering justice,
> bringing relief to the poor,
> seeing the spiritually lost found for the Lord,
> growing in the likeness of Christ.

As two parish churches I would want us to use Lent as a time to decide to live differently; a time where we give God more space in our lives, and allow God into more of the trouble spots of our everyday experiences. It needs to begin with the penitent heart; a place where we acknowledge before God our failures, and where we acknowledge the need for God's transformation of our heart, mind and soul. We need Lent...

I was asked last week by a friend who Pastors another congregation; 'Are you hungry for the Lord?' A great question for me, which needs to begin with the honesty of saying to the Lord: 'Father forgive me for my lack of hunger for your transforming and renewing work'.

Will you, with me, allow the Lord to make Lent a time of transformation? With David may we begin in the humble place of repentance and cry out to the Lord, in sorrow, for renewal;

'Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love... Create in me a pure heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirt within me'.
Psalm 51:1,10.

I certainly need Lent. Do you?

Rev Willie Nixon.