Most people tend to think of Lent as a time for giving something up but it is a season - more helpfully understood - of taking something up to improve our spiritual relationship with God and with our neighbour.
So today I’d like to suggest a few things that perhaps we can take up this Lent to develop our relationship with God and to actively love and serve those around us.
Firstly, do you have a regular quiet time with God – a time you can spend talking to him about your life and concerns but also most importantly a time when you can lift your friends and neighbours to God in prayer?
A quiet time can be at any time and in any place. Some people prefer mornings some evenings. The important thing is that it should be regular.
If you are going to be a fruitful Christian the fruit in your life will grow out of the soil of your relationship with God.
The deeper the soil – the relationship – the more fruitful you will be and it’s very difficult to have a relationship with God if you don’t spend time talking to him regularly.
So this Lent if you’re not already doing so – how about putting aside time each day to spend alone with your Heavenly Father?
My next Lenten suggestion is getting into the habit of reading the bible.
Campbell told me when we preparing this service that the Bible Society's slogan is 'The world's best seller: worth knowing, worth sharing, worth living'?
If you are going to be a fruitful Christian, you need to know what the bible says. You need to be able to tell others about Jesus and you need to be able to answer questions they may have from a biblical perspective.
You also need to know how to live and behave as a Christian – what your Heavenly Father expects you.
There are lots of bible reading aids available from Christian bookshops – booklets like Daily Bread and Everyday with Jesus. These give a daily bible passage to read with a short Commentary.
They normally cover a month or two of readings at a time and cost very little.
There are also specific booklets for teenagers and young people.
I’ve got a couple of examples here which you might like to look at later.
This Lent if you’re bible reading is sporadic or non existent why not go to a Christian bookshop and buy a daily bible reading aid – or take one of these?
Lots of Christians use these booklets as a part of their quiet time, so you could kill two birds with one stone and combine the two.
Giving is a vital part of how the Christian Church survives and functions in this country. Most Christian organisations including this Church rely to a large degree on donations.
The bible encourages us to give generously where we see a need.
I have no idea what your giving is like but if you want to love God and your neighbour, part of the expression of that love should be regular giving, particulalry to Churches and Christian organisations that you feel are doing worthwhile work.
Perhaps this Lent would be a good time to review your giving.
When Jesus called you to be a Christian he called you to bear fruit, to show his love and to serve those around you.
Church going shouldn’t be about passive attendance but rather active service.
Both of today’s passages encourage us to share our faith and love those around us in practical ways.
So another question I’d like you to reflect on this Lent is - what are you doing to love and serve others?
There are lots of things that need to be done for a Church to function effectively and there is a role for you to play in this.
For instance virtually every week Campbell mentions that we need helpers for the Creche.
This is a chance to serve by giving your time to enable a harassed parent to enjoy a service in relative peace.
There are plenty of other opportunities for service. Perhaps you could help out with the children’s groups and give some time to helping children and young people learn about the Christian faith.
Perhaps your interest is more with helping the elderly. I’m sure Campbell could suggest some ways of helping elderly people in the community.
What is your area of interest ? Who has God placed on your heart to love and serve?
Perhaps your interest lies further afield.
Perhaps you have a heart for Africa, or Persecuted Christians, or Israel, or the homeless, or those with addictions.
I work with a guy who has a heart for Africa. In his spare time he works as a collector for an Organisation called Tools with a Mission who collect unwanted tools, computers, bicyles and type writers, which they send to people in Africa to enable them to earn a living.
There are literally thousands of Christian organisations serving and working with all manner of people and causes.
This Lent why not try and find some area of service you can get involved with – whether it is here at Brenchley or for some other local or national Christian organisation that operates in an area with which you empathise.
If you’re at school – why not join the Christian union or group if there is one. If you’ve joined already – perhaps encourage your friends to come along.
Perhaps you’re more interested in book keeping or administration, which again Christian organisations can’t function without.
Perhaps you have a gift for hospitality and making others feel welcome. If so, maybe you could host a housegroup and help to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable enough to learn more about their faith.
Alternately if you feel you lack confidence or skills, perhaps a course of study would help you develop and grow as a Christian.
There are literally dozens of courses you can do. Rochester Diocese offers various courses and numerous Training Days for a wide range of Christian vocations.
Several Christian organisations also offer courses or one off training events – which can help to give you the confidence to become more active as a Christian.
If a course isn’t your thing, Christian bookshops stock a wide range of teaching materials including books, CD’s and videos.
I remember when I first became a Christian I knew very little about Christianity or the bible.
I was fortunate to come across a series of tapes by a bible teacher called Roger Price which really built a foundation in my life for starting to understand the bible.
Perhaps if you’d like to understand the bible better, you could buy some books or CD’s to help you. The staff in Christian bookshops are normally very helpful and can point you towards something suitable.
So Lent can be about giving up something –which you may need to do if you are walking step by step towards some addiction or other unhealthy practise.
But rather than giving something up why not take something up to improve and develop your relationship with God and to serve and love your neighbour.
I chose today’s gospel reading partly because Jesus says in verse 38; “give and it will be given to you...for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Think of a big pot containing soup or something, with a ladle in. Well think of a similar pot containing Christian blessings.
What size ladle are you using to pour blessings into the lives of those around you?
Well God will use the same size ladle to pour blessings into your life.
God’s kingdom has certain principles and one of them is that as you give out, so you receive back.
As blessings flow out of your life towards others, so blessing will flow into your life.
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