It starts with an impression...

This is my first blog. Each week I prepare a talk for our small group. A bunch of Christians who meet informally in our home. We sit and share our lives and ask God into those situations so that it may go well with us. Today, our reflection is on the season of Lent.

It starts with a look, a thought, an idea that you dismiss. But then it gathers momentum in your mind and you revisit the theme you thought you had once dismissed. The thought gains gravity as you think through the possibilities, or linger too long on something you wouldn't normally entertain. Our minds now active with inventive thought and the seduction of the forbidden. The thought becomes an impulse; the impulse an action; then the deed is done and cannot be withdrawn, leaving us with a short term experience, perhaps living with the regret of the emotions we now have.

We all choose how we want to respond to the stimulus that this life presents to us. Some go with the moment and seize each and every opportunity because it may never come again. Some are reserved and a little more inquisitive... thinking through consequences of actions; would it leave us exposed to hurt or abuse, or our emotions dulled by the experience.

Our impulsive actions that are a response to the life around us, can be anything from a physical flirtation, a look, or a thought or action; maybe something that we shouldn't do but the risk is too tempting. Who's going to know what we have looked at or what we are thinking...

We have all sown seeds of deception in our otherwise ordered routine's of work and play, with many signals seeming subtle or harmless. The season of lent is a period of time modelled on the 40 days that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, or the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert, or the 40 days of rains of the flood of Noah. Each a reminder that as human beings we need time to think, reflect and order our lives... to cast off our old self to put on the new. To cleanse our soul of the toil of living in our modern society, with all of it's complexities and wonder.

For the Christian, Lent allows us to focus on what Jesus promised for us, whilst examining how our world view has become distorted over the year. The effect of sin, where we decide to do our own thing in rebellion to the teaching's of Jesus, needs to be reset. During Lent, our minds, bodies and souls need to be examined through a mechanism that stops distraction. The ancient tradition of fasting; to deprive our body of food in order to remind us of our purpose of examining our true-self, and help us focus on the meditation of our heart, is something that Jesus endured. He was successful because he knew scripture - he understood what the scriptures meant for his life, and he understood the promise and purpose of God for his life. Jesus endured the temptation of the flesh; of the folly in pursuing glory and in the testing of his father's will.

#NT Wright speaks of a car that has been misfueled. It can run for a moment before the fuel cloggs up the internal components of the engine, leading to costly repair. He also mentions the mechanic who can find the cause of the problem, repair the error, and get us moving again. This is a great analogy for Lent.

During the year we pick up habits and behaviours that are not helpful in the formation of our character in this life, nor does it allow us to exhibit our true-self to those we share our journey with. The hurt and stress that we can carry around with us, starts to invade our actions and we operate 'out-of-character.' Some of us get so used to behaving is such a way, that we cannot see how destructive it can be. Many of us forget the spiritual dimension to our actions and cannot understand at times why we feel low. Others throw themselves into the next new trend, hoping to ignore that which is gnawing away inside... it feels good for a while, we live in the moment.

God wants us to sustain healthy and vibrant lives, celebrating this life that we have and our purpose within it. Each one of us is connected through a family of believers whose purpose is to restore and lift each other up... no man is an island.

So Lent is about resetting the barometer of our lives so that whether their is fair weather or storms, high pressure or low, we can react with a calm peacefulness, knowing that the past has been forgiven, and the present that leads to our future is already secure. #NT Wright says that their are four areas in our life that we need to address:

1. Causing an offence against known rules - protocols; we know we should not have done that; we seem to have lost some of our humanity in causing the offence in pursuit of our own way.
2. Sin - an old word that simply means rebellion; choosing to do your own thing regardless of what is correct
3. Guilt - the things from our past that we have not let go of. It may be too painful, or you may think that the cause of the guilt somehow defines who you are... so you hold on to it, not being able to forgive yourself, or the actions of others
4. Deceit - trying to cover up that which we now to be wrong or an untruth... putting on a mask and trying to get on with life as though nothing is wrong.

Psalm 32 is a way to meditate through these four checks. First it reminds us that our belief and faith in Jesus will release us from the pain felt as we confess what is not right with us. God is big enough to deal with all of our questions, doubts and our failings, through the actions of his son Jesus. The season of Lent reminds us that Jesus too was tempted by all that life could throw at him. We can have faith in the integrity of Jesus and his teaching, as well as in his action's. Jesus knew his purpose was to help us all be rid of the 'stuff' we do wrong to others and to ourselves... we prayerfully lay them at his feet, and make a decision to stop doing those things that are simply wrong. His sacrifice cleanses us from all of our faults and renews our spirit.

Turning away from the things we know are harmful to our character, and the world in which we interact with, is achieved by accepting the free gift of the grace of God. We can be set free - to be reborn. God cleans up our engine, refuels us with his spirit, and gives us a destination far better than the one we were on previously... we still have free will to choose to follow our own path and ignore the Holy SAT-NAV because we know better! But whatever our journey, be reassured that God is always looking out for us, always watching, always waiting, always ready to forgive and bless our lives with the fullness he promises... as Jeremiah says in chapter 29: 'Plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us a hope for the future.'

I hope this has been of some help. Next time: Prayer