My car is due an MOT this month and I’m dreading it. It’s reached the age where things feel OK but when the expert looks at it, things go wrong. You end up with a complete litany of things that need fixing and face the choice of scrapping it and buying a new car or sticking with what you’ve got for another year. However much we dread the cost of the MOT it is still something worth having. The thought of coming down Farleigh Wallop hill to find there is an issue with the brakes is not a thought I want to linger on.
The season of Lent is going to start in March but needs some preparation time. Lent, along with Advent, is a time when those of us who are Christians are supposed to put their faith through a bit of an MOT. When I was a Vicar in North London the Diocese did this very seriously. The Clergy had to ask five people to fill in an appraisal. We were then summoned to meet with what felt like an inquisitor who would go through the reports. We all vaguely dreaded this because we were expected not to ask people who were friends but some, at least, who found our ministry challenging. The inquisitor always turned out to be wise and kind who fed back 5 good things we were doing and a couple of things that needed sorting out. One of mine, was always scruffy shoes and untidy hair no idea what happened to that!
So here are two questions for you to think about in the run up to Lent. Firstly, how much have you been praying and reading your Bible recently? If the answer is “not much” the Church of England has a really good app called daily prayer that, if you don’t live in the dead zone around Preston Candover is worth accessing. (https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer/daily-prayer-app-and-podcast)
Secondly, how frequently are you are attending Church? When your Church doesn’t have a service could you go along to one of the other Churches in the Benefice in Lent?
Finally, and this applies regardless of the faith we possess, how are we responding to the human need that exists in Basingstoke and Winchester. How much have we given to the foodbanks that provide urgent support to people who are homeless or on benefits?
Taking stock is something you can do on your own, but it is more effective if we find someone who is kind and wise to help us set targets and make a success of this special time of year.
Ian