Far too late to even pretend to be a valentines post part 2

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13)

You know this one. I had to learn it by heart at school for RE GCSE. And it's read at plenty of weddings. So much so it can become overfamiliar and even a little bit stale. 

That's how it has been for me for a while. But the Bible doesn't ever have to become stale. There are many, many passages in the Bible that I can read over and over, just drinking in the beauty of their Author. And I am glad to say that me and 1 Corinthians 13 are making friends. 

If you read this outside of a wedding where people are feeling starry-eyed and romantic it becomes very challenging. And beautiful.

Read it again. It sounds very much like a description of God- the one who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145)  This is how you are loved. Pretty good, hey? 

Trouble is, Paul is saying that this is how we should love. Read it on an ordinary day, especially after a row or a particularly grumpy morning (who me?) It doesn't sound much like me. Envy is only too familiar, patience all too fleeting. And keeping a record of wrongs? Yep that's all too natural too. 

Growing up as a church-goer and hearing the Bible, but not really knowing God or understanding the true nature of his covenant love, I would read verses such as this one from Matthew: 'you therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect' and feel afraid. How am I ever supposed to do that?

The answer is we don't - Jesus does it for us, in us, through us. These passages make me realise how far I fall short of the standard God holds- perfection- and bring me to where I need to be- at his feet declaring my spiritual bankruptcy and asking for his forgiveness and help. 

One more word about RE GCSE. It's amazing the difference the Holy Spirit makes. I learned that passage at school as an exercise and was not blown away by its brilliance. The Holy Spirit can make the Bible alive if we only let him. I remember one summer day I was working on some RE coursework. I got distracted by reading the book of Acts. I started reading it as I would a novel and got hooked. For the rest of the day I felt different. That memory has stayed with me. That was the first time that I really met God through his book.

Every day is pancake day

Harry had pancakes for breakfast today. He will have them again tomorrow. It's one of the few things he will eat, and as far as he's concerned, a perk of lazier holiday mornings.

A lot of other people ate pancakes today too. And tomorrow we start the fasting, right...?

I grew up giving stuff up for Lent, going to church on Ash Wednesday etc but have been in churches with other traditions for so long now I am out of practice. But I miss it. And I'm not sure what to say to my kids about it.

I know what Lent isn't. It's not a second attempt to keep those resolutions I dropped half way through January. It's not time to go on a diet (that might not be a bad thing but lets face it, there's mini creme eggs in the shops). It's not time to earn a bit of God's favour either.

I've noticed something else. People saying 'don't give something up this year, give out or spread some joy, do something new or something extra.'

Like diets, those are good things, but is there something inherently wrong with giving things up? Something outdated or selfish or pointless?

I want to keep Lent because I want to get ready for Easter. I want a sense of anticipation, for the children as well as myself. I want time to reflect on what it really means. More time to sit with Jesus.

I've set myself some reading to rediscover Lent. I probably will fast from something. I probably won't tell you what it is because that's not the point of it. It might be facebook, it might be chocolate, it might be something else.I will undoubtedly fail at it so if you find me browsing facebook on my phone eating- mini creme eggs- don't be surprised.

Luckily I don't have to earn God's favour. I don't have to earn my place in his kingdom or his heart. He gave up everything for me, gives me his grace everyday. The least I can do is have a stab at giving up a few pleasures to seek to get to know him more.

Jumping on the valentine bandwagon a little too late (part one?)

My Pinterest feed has been full of hearts pretty much since Christmas. Now they are clearing out in favour of shamrocks and rainbows. The done thing for bloggers is to 'do' all the festivals and seasons, presumably to get more pins and readers etc. 

But my little tiny blog isn't setting out to conquer Pinterest and anyway I had nothing to say until now. 

When I think about God's love the verse that springs to mind is this:

'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' (Romans 5)

What would our friends think of us if they saw us at our worst moments? Our families see a lot of them but even they don't know it all. What if someone saw every angry or judgemental thought, every selfish impulse? A scary thought. 

Well someone does see it all. And he chose to die for us anyway.

There is a security and relief in knowing that we have been seen at our worst and still loved. And it's not because we are not as bad as we think. If anything, it is this acceptance and love that gives me the courage to look honestly at my own sinfulness. 

And that opens the door to... Well, go and read it for yourself in Romans chapter 5. I can highly recommend Eugene Peterson's translation 'The Message' ( if you don't have it you can read it at biblegateway.com. ) I'll give you a taster:

            'We throw open our doors to God, and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. (The Message, Eugene Peterson, Romans chapter 5.) 

I've called this part one. I may or may not get round to writing part two. I have spared you any pictures of sparkly hearts as I'm sure you've seen enough.

By the way, don't hold your breath for a post on shamrocks and pots of gold from me...