Dear Friends

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
(John 15.13)

The dominant image of Lent and Holy Week is of the sufferings of Christ on the Cross. Although we are heading for Easter, once you become involved in the drama of the Passion, and think about it seriously, the light and hope at the end of the tunnel seem distant, almost unattainable. But there is hope: the transformation of life promised by Easter is there in the self-giving of Jesus, as the Creed puts it, ‘for our sake’, a promise made Jesus himself shortly before his arrest.

Making the ultimate sacrifice may not be a prospect that many of us face in the normal course of life. Sadly, in times of conflict, war or disaster the story of those who give their lives that we may know safety and freedom reminds us of the debt we owe, directly or indirectly, to those who put others before self.

As we journey through Lent, it’s important to think and pray about our own response to the selfless love of Christ.. One dimension, of course, is sheer gratitude for God’s grace (see John 3.16-17). But the greatest challenge is to try and transform our lives and communities by following wherever we can the commandment which Jesus gave to his friends before he spoke of his own self-sacrifice, ‘to love one another as I have loved you’. We are called to be sacrificial ourselves, and in so doing to be agents of this transformation: to be sacrificial in our giving of love and talents, of resources, time, energy and possessions.

Take time this Lent to encounter the teachings and challenge of Christ, to come nearer to him by what St Paul calls transformation through the renewal of your minds. But remember this is no mere mental exercise – it can be a life-changing process, sometimes sudden, sometimes gradual, by which each one of us can find renewal and fulfilment. Each person will have their own way of working at their response to God’s love – and each one of us can share that love in the tasks and encounters of our daily lives.

Yours in Christ

Charles Hill
Priest in Charge