Rectory Ramblings…

Jesus went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan; crowds gathered around Him again, and, according to His custom, He once more began to teach them … (Mark 10:1)

“As was his custom” … In some ways it seems that Jesus was a “creature of habit”. Mark and Luke both record multiple instances of him going up a mountain or similar lonely place to pray. This might be a good time, or not, to ask how your New Year’s resolutions are going? I ask now as it is the widely accepted belief that it takes 28 days to make a habit but evidence shows that it usually takes longer to turn a new activity into habit. The average it seems is 66 days, but it can be less and it can take longer. Many of us will have made New Year’s Resolutions. Many of them will have been health related: eat less, exercise more, cut down on alcohol or nicotine, join a gym. St Paul encourages us to think of our bodies as a temple. We should treat them with respect and look after them. This means taking the time and effort to look after our physical, mental and spiritual health. All three are important but slipping into lazy bad habits is easy and acquiring good habits that require effort are harder. For many of us, our good intentions from the beginning of January are now fading memories. 

For our spiritual health some of us may turn to the church, not every Sunday, just when we need it. And that is a bit like going to see the doctor when we get sick but not going to the gym to stay healthy. I have often heard people say “I don’t believe I have to go to church to be a Christian” or “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a motor car”. This is true. But if you never take your car to the garage then sooner or later it will stop behaving like a car. The truth is that going to church regularly is like going to the gym regularly – something we have to work at until it becomes a habit. 

In two weeks’ time it will be Collop Monday (ask me about it or look it up), Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Ash Wednesday (the start of Lent). Lent, contrary to popular belief is not all about giving up chocolate but giving up whatever it is that is standing between us and God so that we can spend more time with God. Your New Year’s resolutions may have come and gone, but what about a Lenten resolution to go to church, somewhere in the Benefice, every week (like going to the gym every week), for the good of your own spiritual health? You never know, after 40 days it may have become a habit.

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.’ (Luke 4:16)

Revd Eddie