The liberating power of Lent | Faith Matters

I’ve recently helped someone move into a retirement flat. Downsizing was painful.

We faced brutal facts as the memorabilia of 30 years was sifted. Some treasured possessions are of no financial value. Nobody wants them. We pay to have them taken away.

Back home I looked at the stuff I’ve got and don’t need. In comparison with people who are denied a safe place to live, I felt ashamed.

The list of those people is familiar. It includes our Ukrainian guests, the displaced people of Gaza, and refugees who invest everything in one life-threatening journey. And we should not forget the shadow of the past. Life and possessions were stolen from people on a massive scale in the Gulag and the Holocaust.

The link between what we own and what we need is what Christians pray about in the season of Lent that has just begun. It is a forty-day preparation for celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.

Traditionally, this is a season of prayer, self-denial, and generosity to those in need. It is inspired by the story of Jesus spending forty days in the desert, when he is confronted by the challenges of power and manipulation.

Learning to be free from the manipulative effect of possessions is part of the challenge of Lent.

The things you might give up could include any of your favourite treats, like chocolate, lobster or champagne. But that’s only part of the deal.

The other part is getting life back into perspective. Recognising how much we have, how much we waste, and what we really don’t need, is part of the permanent re-balancing.

Lent invites us to discover the profound satisfaction of freedom from the tyranny of unnecessary possessions. It sets us free to meet the needs of those who have been denied the possessions that constitute human dignity.

So set yourself free: feed your food banks and declutter your cupboards.

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Dates for your diary:

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• Find out what services are offered by your local church

The website ‘A Church Near You’ – www.achurchnearyou.com – enables you to easily see what services are being held by churches in your vicinity throughout the year.

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• Diocesan Lent Course 2024

With Lent having begun, lots of parishes across the Diocese will be using the Lent Course which helps unpack the riches hidden in Christ in this the Year of the New Testament.

Each week takes as its theme a different aspect to Our Lord’s life and ministry:

· Week One: Jesus the Lord, Giving himself

· Week Two: Jesus the Lord, Forgiving Sins

· Week Three: Jesus the Lord, Healing the Sick

· Week Four: Jesus the Lord, Hearing Prayer

· Week Five: Jesus the Lord, Enlightening the World

Do join in with sessions held locally to you and discover more about the revelation of God in Christ.

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• Chichester Singers: Haydn, Bernstein and Jonathan Willcocks – Chichester Cathedral, Saturday, March 23, 7.30pm

The classical elegance of Haydn – Te Deum is contrasted by the evocative colour of Bernstein – Chichester Psalms (which was originally commissioned for performance in Chichester Cathedral) and the expressive beauty of Finzi’s elegy for solo tenor and strings Dies Natalis.

Remaining close to home, the second half of the programme features Jonathan Willcocks – A Great and Glorious Victory which dramatically chronicles the events of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar with an overriding message of the triumph of humanity over the horrors of warfare.

Book tickets at: www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-chichester-singers