Lent. No, we don't mean borrowed, this is about the other meaning for the word.

You might have vague recollections from years gone by about it. It's the time of year when children, especially those who go to church, are encouraged to give up sweets and chocolates for 40 whole days! Only nobody tells you it's actually 46, because the Sundays aren't supposed to count. So what's it really all about?

Lent this year began with Ash Wednesday, on 22nd February, in the western church calendar we use at St Clare's.  Ash Wednesday is a day when we take time to think carefully about the choices we make, and whether any of them are driving a wedge between us and God. The day gets its name from the ashes that are often used during the service, to mark the hand or forehead of the people attending (don't worry, it washes off when you're ready). They're used as a symbol of death, our sadness over the ways we haven't lived up to the standards we know God hopes for us, and a reminder of what it cost God to make a way for us to come back into relationship with Him.

Lent itself is a time of further reflection, where we remember the 40 days Jesus spent living out in the desert, alone, with no food or water, and being tempted by satan (he didn't even get Sundays off!). The reason you may have been encouraged to give up sweets and chocolate as a child are because Christians often give something up during Lent as a reminder of what Jesus experienced. We therefore often choose to do something that is sacrificial, or requires a lot of self-discipline. It's not always denying ourselves a favourite treat (so whilst you could give up chocolate, you don't have to!). It's often giving our own time or money to help others, but there are no set rules. Whatever we choose, we try to make it something that will help us remember our need for God, and deepen our relationship with Him, rather than just making yet another resolution we fail to keep. We often try to build a new habit that will get us just a little bit closer to living the way God asks, because we know it's the best way to live, even though it's usually hard at first.

So whatever you do, or don't do this Lent, we pray you will be a little bit more ready to discover just why Easter is so amazing!

And whether you give up chocolate or not, we hope you enjoy your Easter eggs (when the time comes)!