It’s rather strange to realise that for Lent 2020 we are having to give up gathering as a church community.
Lent – time to give up
Usually, Lent inspires people to give up a range of things – personal favourites like chocolate or wine, or meaningful experiences like meals in a restaurant. It’s usually about trying to experience self-denial – even in small ways. But who’d have thought that around the world Christians were having to deny themselves the opportunity for gathering for worship at Easter?
So how can we enter this season of Lent and experience the highs and lows of Holy Week while in isolation?
Well, I think we do it by trying to re-enter the experiences of Jesus that are such important motifs of Easter – anticipation, isolation, desolation and resurrection.
Easter at home
Over the next few weeks, I will generate what I hope will be some thoughtful reflections on the Easter journey that we can use at home. Some things to think about as we make our way through this Easter season.
I suspect, that one thing many people are going to have an abundance of over the next few weeks is time. We might choose to use it binging on Netflix, or reading that stack of books we’ve been meaning to read, or listening to music, or watching movies. And every now and then pick up the phone and talk to someone. We might even pick up a pen and write to someone.
From a ministry perspective, I will pass on some items of ‘food’ you might choose to read, ponder upon and digest at your leisure. These will come to you via Desleigh who will send out regular editions of the newsletter, or Petra who will keep our web-page up to date.
Meanwhile, listen to the science, follow the advice of health professionals, stay in touch with friends and family, and find ways of using Lent 2020 for the enriching of our faith.
And, if you have any other creative ideas about how to stay in touch or nourish our faith at this time, then please let me know.
Shalom
David
