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Wellbeing thought for Friday 19 Feb
Physical Healing
You may be struggling with a short- or long-term sickness. Sickness was never God’s original intention. The Bible describes our current reality as a ‘fallen world’ that is less than God’s best. One of God’s names is “Yahweh-Rapha”, ‘The Lord is our healer’. One of the remarkable aspects of Jesus’ life was his healing ministry. When he died on the cross he did it to undo all the effects of the Fall, and after the Holy Spirit was poured out on his disciples at Pentecost, Christians continued his healing ministry. We often don’t experience divine healing in this life, but we have the promise that at the resurrection of the dead – when Jesus comes back, we will receive resurrection bodies without sickness!
> Pray this wellbeing prayer from 3 John 2 – for yourself and other people: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”
Thursday 18 Feb
Exercise
We need to be intentional about exercise without falling into the trap of making an idol of our physique. It helps us feel good. It gives increasing levels of energy. We invest in long-term health.
Unlike Elijah, we don’t walk long distances anymore as a necessary part of our daily activities. God prepared him for a spiritual encounter with a long walk!
If you are not motivated to exercise, think about one thing you might enjoy that will get you started.
Wednesday 17 Feb
Eating Well
Food and drink are like fuel to our bodies. If we put the wrong type in (as when we fill up a diesel car with petrol) it will have adverse effects. Drinking enough water and eating healthily means greater energy levels, better sleep and enhanced emotional peace. After Elijah sleeps, God gives him a good meal (Read 1 Kings 19.5-8)! God had a plan for Elijah, but first he had to be strengthened physically. We pray “Give us today our daily bread.” God wants us to be physically well. Our part is to ensure we put the right fuel into our bodies.
Is there one change in the list above that you can make straight away?
Lent, the forty days before Easter (not counting Sundays), is a somewhat curious period in the church’s calendar. Most events in the church’s year are festivals and we happily talk about celebrating them. Lent is very different: it is a minor-key period which is never ‘celebrated’ but only ‘kept’. Some churches and Christians treat Lent very seriously, while others ignore it entirely.
Even among those who keep Lent, there is no agreement on how it should be kept. Many Christians try to give up something: for instance, chocolate, social media or television. It’s even become a period for us to try to break bad habits, almost as if Lent gives us another opportunity to retake those New Year’s resolutions!
Now what exactly is Lent about? Lent is about three ‘preparations’.
Lent is a preparation for Easter. Easter, with its message of Christ destroying sin and death through his death and resurrection, is the most exciting moment in the church’s year. Yet we can undercut this note of victory by being so occupied that, amid the frantic busyness of our lives, we carelessly stumble upon Easter. Lent provides us with forty days’ build-up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday that forces us to prayerfully ponder the death and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As the best way to appreciate a sunrise is to be there in the darkness before dawn, so the only way to appreciate Easter is to have come to it through Lent. We as Christians are, of course, an Easter people living in a Good Friday world.
Secondly, Lent is a preparation for Existence. A fatal flaw in our culture today is that people do not know how to say ‘no’ to bad things. It is now almost a virtue to give in to every desire that comes upon us. Yet a great element in Christian morality is to be able to say ‘no’ to wrong desires. Paul, in Titus 2:11–12 (NIV), says, ‘For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.’ Lent gives us the opportunity to practise resisting harmful and hurtful desires that will continue for life. Trivial as it may appear, a battle won over chocolate, coffee or cake at Lent may help us win a battle over lust, lying or lazyness shortly afterwards.
Finally, Lent is a preparation for Eternity. If you take Lent seriously, then these forty days can seem to be a long and often wearying season in which we never get our own way. Here, for a time, pleasures are put to one side and joys are postponed. But Lent doesn’t last. The darkness is broken by the joyful light of the glorious triumph of Easter Day. Here there is a splendid parallel with our lives. For many of us, much of our life seems to take place in what we might call ‘Lent mode’: things do not go as we hope, we do not get what we want and our joys are absent or at best short-lived. Yet, for the Christian, there is that wonderful and certain hope that however deep and hard the darkness is in our lives, it will ultimately be lifted and replaced by an indestructible joy. For those who love Christ, life’s long Lent will end one day in an eternal Easter in which death and sin are destroyed for ever.
Whether or not you keep Lent (which starts today, on Wednesday 17th February), and in what way you keep it, is your choice. But to keep Lent, thoughtfully and prayerfully, is to come into a rich and lasting inheritance. Be blessed this Lent and bless others.
J.John
www.canonjjohn.com
Lent is starting tomorrow on Ash Wednesday.
Download the Church of England Live Lent app with daily thoughts and prayers…
Or call the Freefone number 0800 804 8044
Watch our Ash Wednesday service (available from 8am on 17th February): please click here…
Tuesday 16 Feb
Sleep matters
“Sleep allows our bodies to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information. Poor sleep is linked to physical problems such as a weakened immune system and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.” (Mental Health Foundation)
Psalm 4.8 says “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
Nine tips for healthy sleep (Matthew Walker):
There is a link between our inner peace and the ability to truly rest. Ponder Psalm 4.8 and talk with God about it.
Monday 15 Feb
Physical Replenishment
We need to take care of our bodies because it is the only place we have to live! In 1 Kings 19 we read how the prophet Elijah was spiritually, emotionally and physically exhausted. God began to restore Elijah by letting him sleep. Then he provided food and water for him. Where is your physical ‘dial’? Invite God to help you take the right steps.
WEEK TWO: PHYSICAL WELLBEING
Sunday 14 Feb
Your body matters
Our most basic needs are physiological (i.e. related to the body): food, water, air, rest. Managing energy, not time, is the key to vitality and effectiveness in all areas of our lives. God has given us a body and in Jesus Christ chose to become like us – a physical human being! Your body matters! Thank God for your body and ask him to help you as you explore greater physical wellbeing.
It’s Valentine’s Day! Today we continue on The Wellbeing Journey and explore physical wellbeing. If you have an internet-connected phone or tablet, bring it along for an interactive poll. [Find all the links below this video.]
Church Coffee on ZOOM:
Meeting ID: 836 9097 1697
Passcode: Coffee
Sign up for The Wellbeing Journey…
Wellbeing Bonus Video: Interview with a GP…
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES:
Open the Book – Elijah part 1…
Wellbeing for pre-schoolers:
Week 2…
Week 3…
Wellbeing for Keystage 1&2:
Week 2…
Week 3…
Bible puzzle colouring in sheets:
Week 2…
Week 3…
Download the latest Denham Parish News…
LIVE LENT:
Download the app…
OR CALL FREEFONE 0800 804 8044
If you’d like to explore the Christian faith, we’d love to be part of your journey of faith. There are also some helpful websites as a starting point:
St Mary’s Church Office
Village Road
Denham UB9 5BH
Tel: 01895 832771
Monday 10.00am – 12.30pm
Tuesday 10.00am – 12.30pm
Wednesday 10.00am – 12.30pm
Thursday 12.30pm – 3.00pm
Friday 10.00am – 12.30pm