Weekly Update: 9th March

Welcome to Spring!

How lovely has the warmth and sunshine been over the last week, compared to the damp, grey weather that preceded it?

A fitting beginning to this season of Lent, when we think of hope and renewal. We are familiar with the term “Spring cleaning”, and the need to open the doors and freshen up our homes after the dark winter months indoors. Perhaps we could look on the season of Lent as a good time to have a spiritual spring clean too? Checking, polishing, repairing, airing, sprucing up and perhaps replacing the furnishings and fittings of our faith, as we go through this period of penitence, self-reflection and self-denial that is Lent. We need to ensure that on Easter Sunday the door of our heart is wide open to Jesus and that we are spiritually spick and span and ready to receive him. So the challenges that we set ourselves over the next weeks – the giving up (fasting)of chocolate, social media, screen time etc and the taking up (feasting) of daily Lent reflections, reading the Bible, spending time with God are all ways of carrying this out. Perhaps we need to remind ourselves of this when we feel ourselves wavering and faltering in our resolve. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.”  This reminds us that Jesus waits patiently for us to open the door to him, we have to be willing to do that, we have to take that step to welcome him in. This is illustrated by the famous picture by Holman Hunt – “The Light of the World”. The painting of Jesus standing with a lantern outside a door but if you look closely at the picture, there is no door handle – it’s on the other side of the door! That is “our side” of it , maybe we are ashamed to open the door because we feel that are not worthy as everything isn’t in the best condition, isn’t clean and fresh, so let’s use this Lent to embark on a period of spiritual maintenance!

HAPPY CLEANING!!

Lord Jesus, you stand at the doorway of every heart and seek the welcome of the door being opened to you. Help us to use this period of Lent to spring clean our faith, to strengthen our resolve and belief in you, so that we can welcome you into our hearts and be lead forward in faith and hope and love.          AMEN

Fiona