This is a sermon preached on Sunday 8 March on Mark 8: 31-38 (Lent 2B).  As always, I’d be glad to hear your thoughts.

Looking for something to guide you through Lent?  Join Christian Aid on a virtual Pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

This isn’t about simply watching a story being told.  This journey is also about challenging ourselves to think, to reflect, to pray, and to take action.

So, I’ve found my thing to take up for Lent.  Why not join the journey?

Tomorrow at Together@MCT we’ll walk a labyrinth to help prepare us for Lent.

Come and join us if you’re in Edinburgh for 5.30pm-7pm at Saughtonhall United Reformed Church.

Tonight is together @ MCT at Saughtonhall Church.

We’re walking a Lent Labyrinth and drinking lots of Hot Chocolate!  With marshmallows of course.

Together @ MCT happens this Sunday from 5.30pm at Saughtonhall URC, Edinburgh.  It would be great to see you there to walk our lent labyrinth and share some hot chocolate.

Yesterday I was at Lanark Greyfriars leading worship. Despite a random powerpoint disaster – disaster is probably a bit strong, the pictures were fine but the music decided not to play – (you know the kind: works before service, doesn’t work in service, works fine after service) it was ok.

It was the first Sunday of Lent and the readings were about Jesus’ time in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil.

I often wonder why people give stuff up for lent. I’m not a big fan of stopping things, and would even advocate you do something new or different for lent. But I guess the practice of giving up comes very much from Jesus’ 40 days in the barren wilderness with nothing to do but think. I said yesterday that the temptations Jesus faced were the kind of things we are all faced with and are often the things we let get in the way, between us and God. Power, glory hunting, self-reliance.

So maybe giving up something is a good idea, but I think I’m going to spend more time doing the things I find hard, reading the Bible and praying. Maybe that means some other things will go to make room for these but that’s ok. And I’m still eating chocolate!!!