We are now on our Lenten journey where we follow Jesus to Jerusalem and the cross. As we follow we are reminded, both by his words and his actions, how Jesus comes to serve not be served and calls us to follow in his way. This is counter to the prevailing mindset of our society, yet it is one that is embraced by so many, including those within the church. We all know of those who have lived their lives selflessly serving the needs of their family, their church, their community.

Around us, every day, both within the church and outside it, there are so many acts of service that may seem small but which make a big difference in the lives of others. For these we should be grateful, not taking them for granted nor taking those who offer them for granted. For therein lies a danger - getting used to people doing things, whether for us or for others, and forgetting to be grateful for it and the one who does it. I think this was one of the key things we learnt early in the lockdown of 2020: that our society works because people do things for others - they serve.

I wonder if we can make gratitude part of our Lenten discipline; intentionally looking for those who serve us and our community and thanking them for it? I wonder, can we also look for those opportunities where we can serve, not some mammoth task that totally changes our life but the little thing that makes another's life easier or richer?

In all of this I hope we can also be generous in the words we use; words of gratitude and affirmation rather than words of impatience or frustration. When we're about to speak considering for a moment 'How will what I am about to say make this person feel?'. Then, maybe, if this has been our intentional discipline for these Lenten weeks we may find that it has become a habit and we continue to live this way through Easter and beyond

Thank you, for all you do.
Rev Craig Bowman

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