Lent message from our minister

During Lent we follow Jesus into the wilderness, confronting the often-competing choices between welcome, love and justice over power, status and material wealth. Jesus received God’s Spirit at his baptism and then he went into the wilderness in the enabling power of that Spirit. May we know and experience the Holy Spirit comforting, encouraging and strengthening us too, even in the bleak times we may encounter in our lives.

This year, the call to Lenten reflection feels especially urgent. Many are carrying burdens of uncertainty—economic pressures, political tensions, and the ongoing strains on our public life. In our churches, too, we face questions about identity, mission, and the future shape of our witness. Yet Lent reminds us that God does some of God’s most transformative work precisely when the path feels unclear. 

In the wilderness, Jesus confronts temptation not with power or spectacle, but with the steady truth of Scripture and the quiet, faithful confidence of one who knows they are held by God. May the example of Christ we explore again during Lent renew within and for us the fundamental practices of our faith: daily prayer and Bible study; regular fellowship and worship with other Christians; and generously serving others. May the discipline of these practices (like a ‘rule’ or ‘rhythm’ of life as modelled in the ancient traditions of monastic communities) enable us in the daily choosing of welcome and love over hate and fear.

In a world hungry for compassion, justice, and hope, the Church exists to be the love of God for and with others. So let us walk these forty days with courage and expectation. Let us trust that God is at work in us and through us. May we journey towards Easter with hearts ready to receive again the astonishing news that hate, fear, violence and death are not the end of the story. Life and love have the final word.

Rev James Morley