Home > Fram News > Lent Course News

Lent Course News

30 January 2021

Share this article:share on twitter share on facebook

 

Lent course for Framlingham and Saxtead
Beginning on Thursday 18th February, Chris will be holding a Lent course on Thursdays at 7.30pm on Zoom, exploring the meaning of the miracles of Jesus.
Time: 7.30pm
Please contact framparish@gmail.com for login details, all welcome

 

February-2021-Newsletter207468.pdf

 

Reflection from the Rectory
Happy New Year
everyone! Here we
are moving towards
February, and Ash
Wednesday is on
17th. We then begin
our six week journey
towards Holy Week and Easter.
This year Lent will be a much more solitary
time for most of us and we will need to be
more disciplined than usual to use the six
weeks it offers us to have the opportunity to
draw close to God with renewed dedication.
As a child, particularly in church life as a
chorister, it seemed a very dull six weeks on
the road to Easter but as the years go by a
value it much more as a time of intention.
Keeping Lent does not have to be that
complicated, but it’s best to plan it
thoughtfully. How might you fit some extra
daily prayer time into your day? Maybe a
prayer walk each day for a few minutes
thanking God each time you see something
beautiful for example?
Spend some time walking with Jesus in
Scripture, maybe commit to reading through
a Gospel slowly over Lent and perhaps with
a biblical commentary to help you pick out
the meaning of some of the bits you have
never seen. You could sign up for the Lent
course which will look at the miracle stories
on Thursday evenings on Zoom? Chris
Lent course for
Framlingham and Saxtead
Beginning on Thursday 18th February, Chris
will be holding a Lent course on Thursdays
on Zoom, exploring the meaning of the
miracles of Jesus.
If you would like to take part in this, please
email either Chris or the Parish Office for the
Zoom code, which will be the same for all
sessions. Both email addresses are on the
front of this newsletter.


A Prayer for Lent
Dear Lord,
I know you receive what is in my heart.
Let me be inspired by your words and by the
actions of your Son, Jesus.
Guide me to make sacrifices this Lent in the
spirit of self-denial and with greater attention
to you and those around me.
Help me to believe that you will grant me this
because of the sacrifice Jesus made for me.

Amen

 

Tails from the Rectory
The snow was quite a surprise when the dogs went to explore the garden; Archie ran in big circles and Basil tried to catch the snowflakes as they fell! By the time they got back indoors, were dried off and had breakfast they were just happy to lay together looking out of the garden door and watching the snow fall. The beauty of the snow seemed to make the passing of Christmas and the taking down of all the shiny decorations a bit more bearable.
As they watched the big snowflakes falling down Archie sighed a loud sigh and then asked Basil, “What comes after Christmas?”. Basil looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What do you mean?” He asked. “Well,” began Archie, “what comes next for the Church?” Basil thought for a moment, “Next will come Lent” he replied rather grandly. “And will Lent be like Christmas, will there be decorations and presents and lots more lovely food?” Asked Archie excitedly, his tail beginning to wag at the very thought. Basil remembered asking this question of Chris himself not long after he became a vicarage dog.
“Lent is very different Archie, there are no decorations, in fact quite the opposite. In church all the beautiful flower arrangements are taken out. The bright colours are replaced with a dark purple and some of the brightest music and hymns are given a rest.” Archie was not looking impressed! “ ..and there is no feasting like we did at Christmas. In Lent many people choose to eat a very simple diet, some people give up meat, and some people have days when they choose not to eat which is called fasting. Lots of people give up their favourite things like chocolate or cake as a way of focussing the mind on God. Lent is a time for Christians to work hard at spending time with God in a very disciplined manner, removing some of the distractions which normally get in the way. It’s a time to say sorry of the times we have got things wrong in our life with God so we can turn a new page and start again – that’s called repentance.” The more Basil spoke the more alarmed the expression on Archie’s face became.
“I’m not sure I am going to like Lent very much!” He admitted honestly. “ I hope it doesn’t last for long?!” Basil swallowed before he answered, “Lent lasts for six weeks.” Archie turned to look at him, his eyes wide and his mouth open in disbelief, “SIX WEEKS? No cake or doggie chocolate for six weeks?!
Basil tried to look calm and clever but he could remember his own sense of shock when Chris had first told him about Lent; obviously being the senior vicarage dog meant he would keep that information to himself.