By Heather Ford Lark

Already we are nearing the halfway point of Lent, a time to reflect on our journey with God, and renew our resolve to follow Him more closely. Even if we haven’t yet managed to keep to any of the practices we intended, it’s never too late to deepen our connection with God.

So whatever our experience so far, this is a great opportunity to pause, assess, and recommit to our goals for Lent. We needn’t get discouraged by challenges and hitches along the way, but we can use them for opportunities for growth. I certainly say that to myself!

Did you set specific goals for Lent? How are you doing? Are you making progress, or do you need to adjust your plans?

I set myself the project of reading all four of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, not one book after the other, but chronologically, with the accounts all put together in the sequence in which they most likely happened. I think I am a little behind with my target, but there’s plenty of time to catch up with my reading, and I am finding that I’m noticing things I haven’t really let sink in before.

I am really enjoying seeing how the accounts of what Jesus did and said vary a little with the perspective of each different author – Matthew being a tax collector, Mark a follower of Peter, Luke a physician, and John a fisherman. All eye-witness accounts, but all ever so slightly different; all accurate but reflecting their distinct personalities and backgrounds.

Simply doing this, I feel a little bit closer to God with a deeper understanding of Jesus this Lent.
And we can remember that Lent is a journey, not a race, and missing one’s goal sometimes happens. We can use this midpoint as a fresh start to rekindle our resolve, and let God’s mercy and kindness wash over us as we remind ourselves that this is part of a much longer journey in our walk with God, or towards God.

Lent is a time to be honest with ourselves and with God and we needn’t be afraid to acknowledge our weaknesses and ask for His help.

Whilst Lent is about preparing for the joy of Easter, it’s also about growing closer to God along the way, not only for Lent but for the months ahead and for the long term.

Here’s a reminder of a few suggestions that may help us to draw nearer to God, to keep our focus on Him, and find we are strengthened as we go.

Get a Bible (or look up the Bible on your phone) and read God’s words. Try the book of Mark or John first.

Talk to God once a day.

Read or listen to books or articles that inspire reflection and personal growth.

Consider giving up a particular food or habit to practice self-discipline and focus on spiritual growth.

Think about a habit that has kept you from being whom God is calling you to be. Consciously give up that habit for Lent.

Pray for somebody. As you’re walking along, driving the car, or waiting for a meeting to start, pick out a person who appears to be in need and pray for that person.

You’ll be surprised at the positive difference in you! 🙂

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By Judy Taylor

Last week Paul and I had a lovely break for a few days in the Cotswolds and we were so lucky to have chosen a week when we had such lovely weather. We were staying in what would once have been a stately house set in hundreds of acres of beautiful grounds. The weather was so warm and sunny and I wanted to make the most of it so I decided I would go for a walk in these lovely grounds on Wednesday. There were paths taking you into different parts of the estate with a map to guide you but I was just so glad to be outside in the sunshine after the long dreary grey days we have been having, I thought I would just see where my footsteps would take me. I hadn’t been walking for very long when I saw an old rustic bench which looked very inviting. (What sort of walk am I on I can hear you asking yourselves?!). Well I sat there for a while, just drinking in the sunshine, feeling the warmth which seemed to not only warm my body but also my spirit. After leaving the bench I found myself walking through dappled sunlight into some woods. Here there were many clumps of snowdrops and – birdsong. It was as if every bird was singing in these woods. Songs I had never heard before, the chorus of sound was just beautiful. I had to stop and listen and marvel at everything around me and I think that it was here I began my prayer walk but it is only looking back that I realise that that is what it was.

I was giving thanks to God for this beauty all around me, and as I stopped to look at yet another lovely group of snowdrops, they were nodding their little heads as if in agreement with me. My pace got slower as I stopped just to hear the birds or just to be in the sun. I did not want anything to spoil this wonderful experience but as we all know, the mind doesn’t always go where we want it to go! I found myself thinking about the awful state of the world and in particular of Ukraine and all that has happened recently with President Zelenskyy. I brought this to God, as I know millions of people will be doing all over the world. In this special moment I felt at peace, which was different, I normally feel anxious and fearful of what is to come and pretty overwhelmed too. I don’t know how long I was walking but in all it was a healing and a reassurance experience knowing that God holds everything and we just have to trust that.

I love to think of Jesus, walking in the hills overlooking Galilee. There he would have found peace, away from the crowds that followed him. He too would have marvelled at his Father’s hand in the beauty of the flowers, the sun, the birdsong and the lake below. It was here that he found his Father, in the stillness where he could be with him and listen to his voice. We all need to find a place to be with God, whether on a walk, listening to music or lighting a candle to bring us into that time of stillness. We need this more than ever in these uncertain and turbulent times. And it is here that we can tell God of those fears and worries. We can bring to him all that is on our hearts knowing that he listens, hears us and loves us.

As we continue our journey this Lent, let Jesus be our companion and let us be his companion too. Let us walk with him our most trusted friend, see his absolute trust in his Father even though he knows what awaits him. If we can we bring him comfort and love by staying with him, his journey like ours will be lighter and wherever our walk in Lent and beyond leads us, we can, like Jesus, know that his Father, our Father loves us unconditionally and at our journey’s end he will welcome us home to be with him always.

By Revd Mark Ackford

Do you have a favourite pew or seat!

I often see it every Sunday when I look out across those in Church, familiar and loved faces who in most cases always sit in the same place, their favourite seat, their favourite pew. Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with this and it has its uses especially for someone like me who is quite happy to putting his hand up as not being gifted at putting names to faces. As on those occasions when I would recognise the face but the name had escaped me would simply describe where they sat to those in the know in the church family and the reply would come back Oh that is Mr or Mrs X or Y!

Recently I came across this story related to this theme of a favourite church pew.

A father and son regularly attended a Sunday morning Communion service in a busy city church. Sitting in the same pew each Sunday it was their favourite pew, just like everyone else who also seemed to have their favourite pew in that church. Whenever the start of the Sunday service approached, everyone seemed to race to ‘their’ pew ready for the Welcome and Opening Hymn.

One Sunday they brought along an additional member of the family, son number two, who growing up had suffered from many demons, but suddenly decided he wanted to come to church with them that day. The father and first son raced into church to secure their usual favourite pew perhaps secretly fearful someone else might sit in their hallowed seats and when they got there noticed that the second son hadn’t entered the church with them. Confused and baffled as to where he had gone the father and the first son went outside to find him talking to a homeless man sat outside on the steps to the church.

In their rush to be righteous, both the father and first son had overlooked the homeless man at the door, whereas the second son, who had at one point in his life been homeless himself, saw a child of God and had stopped to talk to him, to show and offer this homeless man some of Christ’s love, care and kindness.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the Gospel lesson from Matthew 6.1-6,16-21 set for today tells us to act humbly, rather than boast of our righteousness. Matthew tells of Jesus speaking these words to his disciples: ‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven’. It is more than likely here that Jesus is referring to the Pharisees in the Synagogue showing off about how holy they were as being hypocrites. Upon reflection, perhaps that’s exactly what the father and the first son were doing in their rush to grab their favourite church pew.

I wonder how often we have walked past the homeless man or woman instead of being moved by Christ’s love, grace and compassion to stop and talk to them, for after all we are all children of God. As St John Chrysostom said, “If you can’t find Jesus in the homeless man at the door, you will never find him in the chalice.” So, this Lent, let us stay humble and live out Christ’s commandment to love God and love our neighbour.

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By Revd Philip Smith

This Thursday is momentous when our Prime Minister visits the President of the United States of America, and someone we know very well becomes a Bishop. I’m always intrigued by Jesus’ relationships with other readers who are nothing like him and I often imagine conversations Jesus has with the disciple Peter.

Peter: Jesus.

Jesus: yes Peter, this better be good.

Peter: I’m not sure you should go round calling the leaders a ‘brood of vipers’.

Jesus: Why not! They are a brood of vipers.

On another occasion he says of Herod ‘Go and tell that fox for me’ Luke 13:32

Jesus doesn’t always appear to hold back as I guess he sees through all the layers of bravado and sees them for who they really are. He’s certainly not fond of hypocrites, a word that comes from Greek actors wearing different masks as they play different characters. Most people can spot a fake a mile away. I doubt if they would do it, but I think all leaders should have to wear badges like Formula One Drivers, showing who sponsors them. Perhaps there should also be a sign at every meeting between them that reads: ‘Leave your egos at the door’.

For those of us in the Wycombe Deanery we have a special relationship with our new Bishop because we know him and have grown to appreciate his servant heart. We can see why he has been given this opportunity and great responsibility especially at a time when all Bishops are under a spot light. Please pray for Dave & Helen, we know he does for us.

Sadly, when world leaders and politicians behave in dubious ways we are not surprised, as expectations of integrity are often low. Leaders in the Church however are rightly held to a greater standard as we and they seek to follow our Lord’s example especially when he says that the Kings of the Gentiles Lord it over their subjects, it should not be like that with you.

Bishops, Prime Ministers and Presidents hold great responsibility, but they are human like us all and like us need much prayer as they seek to serve, but they are no more or less important than any of us. Jesus said that if we want to be the greatest, then we must become the least. It’s why seeing Pope Francis washing feet is so powerful. Pray for him too.

Here’s Peter and Jesus again.

Peter: Lord, what do you want me to do?

Jesus: What part of act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with me don’t you understand Peter.

Peter: Don’t you mean walk humbly with God.

Jesus: That’s what I said.

Always remember that the most important person on Airforce One is the pilot.

Keep the faith, but never ever to ourselves.

Love Philip x
PS It’s only a week till Lent. How might we do it differently? Please reread Lucy’s blog below.
*The first rule of the All Blacks.

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By Revd Lucy Austin

The Sermon on the Mount – Jesus’s greatest hit, if you will – doesn’t waste a single breath telling us what to believe. Instead, it’s all about what to do and how to be.

Fast forward three centuries to the Nicene Creed, and suddenly it’s all about beliefs, with no mention of action! Talk about a plot twist.

It’s rather like going from “be good to each other” to filling out a theological questionnaire. I suspect Jesus would have preferred the former – he did seem more interested in whether we’d feed the hungry than whether we could recite complex doctrines.

Christians happily quote the Ten Commandments (mostly “don’ts”), yet often get a bit squirmy when you mention the Sermon on the Mount (mostly “dos”). Perhaps because “blessed are the peacemakers” sounds rather inconvenient when you’re trying to start an argument in Parliament.
Also “blessed are the merciful” might raise a few eyebrows in today’s rather punitive courtrooms.

Agreeable spirituality is preferable isn’t it? It keeps things nice and orderly – let’s have everyone sitting quietly in their pews, thinking lovely thoughts about heaven.

When people start taking Jesus’s actual words seriously things get a bit uncomfortable for those enjoying the status quo. Funny that, isn’t it?

This Lent, instead of just giving up chocolate (though that’s perfectly fine too), what if we embraced being what I like to call “prophetic troublemakers”?

Don’t worry – I’m not suggesting anything too dramatic.

Repentance is not about a “sackcloth and ashes” spirituality of guilt, legalism, and self-recrimination. The focus of repentance is not on what we’ve done, but on what we will choose to do and become in the future.

We all want to make a positive mark on the world. We want to live good lives that matter and that contribute to making our corner of the world a little better. And there is no better guide than Jesus’ teachings about authenticity, generosity, compassion, connection, and building a better society together. Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness can create the biggest ripples.

It might be as simple as making someone smile, sharing your last Hobnob with a colleague, or choosing to listen rather than speak when someone needs to be heard.

You see, that’s the clever bit about the Sermon on the Mount – it shows us how small, intentional actions done in secret can transform society. Rather like throwing a pebble into a pond – you never quite know how far those rings will spread. One kind word might just be the thing that helps someone keep going. One generous gesture might inspire a chain reaction of goodwill In a world that seems increasingly fond of anger and division, these small acts of love become rather revolutionary. They’re like tiny sparks of hope in what can sometimes feel like rather dark times. And the brilliant thing is, anyone can do them. You don’t need special training, fancy credentials, or even a theology degree (though if you have one, well done you!).

So here’s to being blessed troublemakers this Lent. May our small acts of kindness cause just enough good trouble to make the world a slightly better place. May we be less concerned with ticking boxes and more interested in touching hearts. And if anyone asks why you’re being so nice, you can always blame it on Jesus. He started it, after all!

Remember, as we journey through Lent, it’s not about grand gestures or perfect performance. It’s about letting love be the driving force behind our words, attitudes, and actions. And who knows?
Those little ripples of kindness might just turn into waves of transformation.

Now wouldn’t that be something worth giving up chocolate for?

Come, Almighty to deliver;
Let us all thy grace receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve thee as thy host above,
Pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
Glory in thy perfect love.

PS Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, the 5th of March this year.

much love and many blessings
LucyA

By Judy Taylor

I recently came across this photo of a little pansy which had somehow managed to push its way through a seemingly impossible place, you could say between a rock and a hard place. How did it get there I wonder? Was it a tiny seed brought by the wind or maybe dropped by a bird? A little seed like this would not be expected to flower, to flourish in such a hostile place and yet, against all the odds here it is, brave and beautiful, a glorious splash of colour against the greyness and hardness of the rocks surrounding it. In order for it to grow it would have needed a little earth and water. There must have been just enough soil between the cracks of the rock to enable the seed to grow and the rain would have trickled down between the cracks to encourage it to flourish. Its journey up through the tiny crack would have been a struggle but just enough light would have encouraged this little flower to keep going until it reached the light, the third element needed to grow, (earth, water and light).

How often do we feel that we are ‘between a rock and a hard place’? When it seems that whatever choice we make will not bring about the solution we want. It may be that decisions we have taken have brought us to this place or it may be situations beyond our control.

In the bible, there are many stories of people who must have felt like this, among them, Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, who was a victim of betrayal and must have felt helpless and hopeless at times. Daniel faced captivity in Babylon, threats from jealous rivals and the lion’s den. Paul, who endured numerous hardships including beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks and eventually martyrdom. And then our dear Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane desperately praying that the horror of what was to come could be avoided. Real people with real feelings. In spite of everything however, they all held on to what gave them life, their love of God. Somehow they dug deep, found that little piece of soil to anchor themselves to and with perseverance they came through into the light, against all the odds.

We cannot all be heroes such as these but we can, when things seem impossible, reach into what grounds us, our love of God and his for us. If we can let his love wash over us which may be through others we will find the strength however tenuous to start that journey into the light. Think of the little pansy again – this little flower is somehow declaring that it has arrived! The beauty of its colour, its very being there is a testament to perseverance and the miracle of life itself.

God is with us, God will always be with us especially in the tough times. If we think of the little pansy, we can perhaps find the soil (God) to encourage us and strengthen us, the rain to help us to believe and have courage (which may be the support of others) and with these we can start our journey towards the light knowing that we have come through. We can bathe in the warmth of that wonderful light allowing it to warm us and dispel our weariness. And we can rest too until we, with God’s love are able to embrace life once again knowing that our strength comes from God and He will see us through wherever the path of our life takes us.

Psalms 18:1-3. I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my saviour; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.