Tower and Town, March 2023 (view the full edition)Lent for Everyone by Tom WrightLent is a sort of spiritual keep fit time for Christians. Moses spent 40 days up the mountain, Jesus spent 40 days being tested in the desert and we spend 40 days preparing for Easter. This can involve self-examination, reconsidering of priorities and good old fashioned repentance. Lent begins with 'ashing' as a reminder of our mortality. It ends with the joyful celebration of Easter as a reminder of our hope of eternal life. To help us navigate this spiritual season Marlborough Churches Together are offering a Lent course. This year we are returning to our roots and having a look at the Scriptures, and Matthew's biography of Jesus in particular. Bishop Tom Wright has written a book specifically for this purpose, which we are encouraging people to read. As well as being a mighty New Testament scholar Bishop Tom has also written an 'everyman' series. We will be engaging at this level through Lent. The book has daily readings, which include a fresh translation of the text and a short commentary on the theme. This book will guide us as we ask those big questions: 'Who is Jesus?', 'What did he teach?' and 'Why did he die?'. There are small groups to join that will enable interesting discussion on one of the previous week's readings. The details of the groups are below and you can sign up at the back of St Mary's Church or by calling Penny in the MAT Church Office on 07593 815609. All the groups begin the week commencing February 26th and run for five weeks. I'm delighted to say that the Mustard Seed Bookshop have fifty copies to buy at a discounted price of £8.50. The groups with space available at the time of going to press are:
Chris Smith |