Musings – February 2023
From the Manse …
Tuesday 21st Feb is Shrove Tuesday – some times called Pancake Day, sometimes, Mardi Gras – the last day before the period leading up to Easter … Lent!
Before stuffing yourselves with pancakes and emptying the larder in preparation for the fast, it’s good to think about what Lent is really about. Spoiler alert – it’s not about giving stuff up!
Lent is actually about preparation and transformation.
We’re meant to ‘clear the decks’ spiritually so that we can celebrate Easter and all that it means for us properly, without the baggage of life holding us back. This means being ready to change things in our lives – never easy! Whatever is getting in the way of us being the people God wants us to be, Lent is a time to make a concerted effort to sort it out.
“The New Year resolutions I made didn’t last, so why should Lent be different?” you ask.
Lent is based on the time Jesus spent getting ready for His Ministry – 40days in the wilderness, focussing on God and being tested by the Devil. If Jesus needed this time of preparation, then surely we do too. And … because He went through it He will be with us as we try to be more like Him in how we live our lives. Even Jesus, the Son of God, had to transform from a carpenter’s apprentice to a powerful teacher and healer as He sought to be the person God wanted Him to be – the Messiah! The same Holy Spirit, who guided Jesus through the desert, lives within us, if we ask Him to, and will help us become the people we should be, fulfilling our true potential.
During Lent, alongside our regular Sunday worship (10am) there are extra opportunities to meet with Jesus on your own journey of faith, whether it feels like a desert or not!
Connect with Lent is a series of meditations and bible studies based on Jesus’ Journey to the Cross. Starting 23rd Feb, Thursdays at 7.30am in Dunscore Church – bring a plant pot (5” or more) and join with fellow pilgrims. All are welcome.
Prayer & Reflection for Lent is on Sun 12th Mar, 7pm in Dunscore Church. A chance to quietly bring yourself before God during your journey of faith.
Join us as we prepare to be transformed by Jesus – your life may never be the same again!
May God Bless you.