Lent 1 - The time has come
Mark 1:12-15 Lent is a season in the Christian Church where we relate to Jesus' time spent in the wilderness. After Jesus was baptised, he went out into the wilderness for 40 days. Here, he resisted temptations from Satan and prepared himself for his coming ministry to the world. Lent is a 40-day season that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Palm Sunday. In many church traditions, Christians will use the period of Lent as an opportunity to "give up" certain delicacies (such as eating particular foods or watching TV) as an act of fasting. Fasting helps us draw nearer to God. As we crave that which we have given up, we are reminded of Christ's temptations in the wilderness and we are invited into a moment of prayer and sacrifice to God. Sometimes during Lent, instead of giving something up for 40 days, I like to commit to taking up a "good deed" during this time. This could be reading a few chapters of my Bible every day, handing sandwiches out to those in ...