A catholic bishop beautifully summarised Lent as a “season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It’s a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, we seek the Lord in prayer by reading Sacred Scripture; we serve by giving alms; and we practice self-control through fasting. We are called not only to abstain from luxuries during Lent, but to a true inner conversion of heart as we seek to follow Christ’s will more faithfully. We recall the waters of baptism in which we were also baptized into Christ’s death, died to sin and evil, and began new life in Christ”.

1. Lent is a beautiful period to sit back and think of our relationship with God.

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So, they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9 NLT. This is the first interaction Adam and Eve had with God after they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge. God is described as walking in the garden. Was this something God did regularly? What was lifelike for Adam and Eve, before their “eyes were opened”? Were they just able to be present and in the moment with each other and God? What would that feel like? This seems to me like the moment God’s people became the kind of humans I recognize and understand – imperfect, separate from God and each other, aware of this separation, and scared. They each blame others for their situation. But God asks, “Where are you?” God wants to know, and He reaches out to them to find out what happened. The story of the Bible is the story of God continuing to reach out – reaching a dramatic climax at Easter.

Take a moment to acknowledge that there are times you feel alone, separated from God and other people. Remember the times that God has reached out to you. How did that feel? Thank God for those moments and ask Him to help you to reach out to others to overcome the distance that sin has put between you.

2. Lent is a season of redemption.

This is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the word redemption: “The action of freeing, delivering, restoring, or reclaiming something.” God made the whole of creation, but in the fall, the relationship between God and that creation was broken human and non-human creation were “lost” from God – like the lost sheep in Jesus’ parable. But God had a plan to redeem His creation – and this is the story of the Bible. God tells Moses of His plan to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, saying, “I will redeem you.” (Exodus 6:6) The Exodus is a moment in history when God redeems His people.

Christ’s death on the cross is another – the ultimate moment of redemption. In this event God reclaims the whole of creation from the power of sin and death and reunites it to Him, so that all can flourish again.

Thank God for the gift of Christ Jesus, who redeems us, and the whole of creation. Take a moment to think about, imagine or remember what it feels like to be unable to live freely because of poverty or injustice, and then to feel a moment of liberation and redemption. Share those feelings with God in prayer.

3. Lent is a season of restoration.

Despite the fall, God keeps reaching out to us, to restore the relationship between himself and the whole of creation. Through Christ’s death and resurrection all creation is redeemed from the powers of sin and restored to God. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he encourages his readers to strive for full restoration. He writes about reconciliation with God, the importance of telling the world that this restoration is possible, and about the importance of being reconciled with other people rather than competing with them. Here, the full restoration that Paul describes for the Corinthians includes both relationships. Within the church – both locally and globally – there are often broken relationships, and this makes it harder for the world to see and understand the restoration that God offers in Christ.

Take a moment to think about where you see broken relationships in your church or between your church and others. How do you think they might be a factor or result of poverty and injustice? Spend time praying about these things and ask God to show you how you might be a part of bringing restoration.

4. Lent is a period of beauty instead of ashes.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)

What ashes are there in your life? Take a moment to hold them in your mind, then give them fully to God, recommitting your trust to Him: the restorer. The hope that emanates from a God who says, “I will take those ashes and turn them into the most beautiful crown you’ve ever seen.”

Almighty and loving Father,
Thank you that you are a God of new beginnings.
We ask for your presence to be with us as we begin the season of Lent.
Please God, take the ashes that are in and around us and transform them into crowns of beauty, through your restoring love. In Jesus’ name we pray,


Amen