YES, it’s that time of the church year again. Whatever happened to the 12 months between last Lent and this one?

A time of preparation for Easter and a time to remember the wilderness sacrifice Jesus made. He spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness fasting and living without any of the normal things of life. A time by himself where he endured the temptations of Satan.

So how do we celebrate Lent today? The whole idea of self-sacrifice seems somehow alien to the ethos of society in 2026 Britain. I know this is generalisation, but we seem to be surrounded by the opposite of self-sacrifice. We seem to be surrounded by greed and by an attitude which says “grab what you can”. Impatience and “looking after number one” seem to rule the day.

Self-sacrifice is an important part of the church’s teaching on Lent along with repentance and preparing ourselves for the glorious celebration of Easter. It’s a time for us to spend time by ourselves in quiet reflection, thinking on our faith and our relationship with Christ. It’s a time for self-sacrifice. Traditionally, Christians “give up” something for Lent. What they “give up” is a personal choice – I have a clear memory as a child of offering to give up school for Lent!

No, we “give up” something to remind us of the tremendous sacrifice of Jesus spending 40 days in a wild place. It’s also a time for Christians across the denominations to come together and spend time studying and sharing. In Par this year our Lent series is titled “Christian Unity in a Fragmenting World”. What a challenging title!

This Lent let us spend time in quiet reflection and in remembering Jesus’ sacrifice in the wilderness.

John Diaper

Chair, Par Churches Together