We have a walking group that comes to our churches every month – some of you reading this message will be part of that group – and they enjoy coffee, tea and cake after they have completed their walk. There are three subgroups, depending on the length of walk – short, medium or long – and arrive at church at different times. I think they call it a balanced lifestyle: expend some energy and keep yourself fit, as well as sustaining the body with drink and food! It is good to see so many taking part in that activity on Tuesday mornings, and enjoying the social side after the walk.
Living a life of faith should be approached in the same way; expending energy by giving of yourself, but also taking in and feeding yourself on a daily basis. Giving of yourself can take many forms; serving others by giving of your time and talents: visiting, fetching someone’s shopping or prescription. The feeding part of the balanced faith lifestyle means that you need to receive teaching, spending time studying the scriptures and communicating with God in prayer and worship. There are of course many more ways of achieving the same outcome, and these are dependent on how they fit in with the rest of our activities such as our work and our families.
As I have mentioned before, the season of Lent is a good time to reflect on our overall lifestyle. I hope that we will be able to use the time in the run up to Easter to consider our lives and how God is either neglected or included in the way that we live; I urge you to use the time wisely for your reflections.
With God’s peace and blessing through 2024.
Revd Graham
