In my sermon last Sunday, I said that, to me, something that encapsulates  what Lent is really all about are the words we use at the Imposition of Ashes on Ash Wednesday; 

‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.  
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.’ 

But those of us here who can remember the days when we used the ASB, The Alternative Service Book, and there are many of us here who will remember that, will perhaps remember the words from the ASB’s companion volume, Lent, Holy Week and Easter which were, 

‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. 
Turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ.’ 

We might say that there’s very little difference in meaning between those two different sets of words, but I’m not so sure. Certainly, to repent is to turn away from sin but is believing the Gospel the same as being faithful to Christ? I’m sure all of us here believe in the Gospel, we probably wouldn’t be here if we didn’t, but how faithful to Christ are we, really? Because if we were faithful to Christ, truly faithful to him and to following his teaching and example, we wouldn’t have much, if anything,  to repent of would we? So if we want to be truly faithful to Christ, we have to do more than simply know and believe in the Gospel. We have to make the Gospel part of us and put it at the heart of everything we do and say. We have to not only hear the Gospel and believe it but live the Gospel. And this is what’s meant in the story of the Transfiguration when Peter, James and John are told to ‘listen’ to Jesus. Because the Greek word we translate as ‘listen’ doesn’t simply mean to hear but to listen indeed and understand. To give what Jesus is saying our full attention so that we can truly grasp his meaning and act accordingly.  

In some ways, I think the Transfiguration Gospel is placed in the lectionary so early in Lent as an encouragement. In the past, I’ve described Lent as a ‘spiritual marathon’,  because, if we take Lent seriously, it involves 6 solid weeks of spiritual discipline, about the time it takes to train to run a marathon I believe. We’re not 1/3 of the way through that yet. We still have a long way to go and so a bit of encouragement is in order. And the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration gives us that encouragement by telling us just who it is we’re trying to follow more closely through our Lenten discipline.  

The Transfiguration reveals Jesus’ true glorious nature, how he will appear in God’s kingdom. It reveals him as the fulfilment of both the Law and the Prophets, as he said he was. And the voice from the cloud, as it did at his baptism, identifies him as the incarnate Son of God. And we’re told all this about Jesus before we’re told to “listen to him.” And so, in terms of the Church’s lectionary, we’re told all this about Jesus towards the beginning of Lent to encourage us to listen to him more attentively, to try to understand what he’s saying to us more fully, and to follow him more closely – to be more faithful to Christ.  

We listen to Jesus primarily, of course, through the words of scripture. Jesus can speak to us through the Spirit, he can speak to us through the Church’s teaching, he can even speak to us through other people, but if what we hear, or think we hear, from those sources is contrary to what we read in scripture, then we need to be very wary of what those voices may be saying to us.  

But if our primary way of listening to Jesus is through the Scriptures, that leads to the question of whether scripture can be trusted. Is what we read true? Is it reliable? How much of it really happened? Perhaps even, did any of it really happen?  

People do ask these questions about the Scriptures, and they are valid questions because we have to admit there’s some pretty weird and wonderful stuff in the Scriptures; the Transfiguration for one. But how about turning water into wine, feeding thousands of people with a few loaves and fishes and walking on water? That’s before we get into bring the dead back to life. We read some pretty strange things in the Scriptures, and so it’s understandable that many people find it hard to believe in the Gospel and, by extension in Christ. So how reliable and trustworthy are the Scriptures?  

In answer to that question, I want to talk a little bit about another well-known writing from a time not long before the time of Christ, the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, or to give it its English title, the Commentaries on the Gallic Wars. That book is regarded as a primary source of information about the campaigns of Julius Caesar in Gaul during the 50s BC. And it’s regarded as that in part because it was written, or at least dictated, by an eyewitness to the events described –  Caesar himself. And it was written soon after the events because we know it was reviewed and praised by the Roman statesman, Cicero, in 46 BC. So, while Caesar did, no doubt, ‘big up’ his own achievements in the Commentarii, it’s still seen as a reliable and trustworthy source of information because it’s based on eye witness accounts and was written very close to the time of the events it describes. But we can say these things, at least of the New Testament scriptures too.  

We can’t be sure of the exact dates that the New Testament books were written. The earliest were probably St Paul’s Letters which were written over a 20-year period 15-25 years after the Resurrection (although some scholars believe that the Letter of James was the first and was written in the early to mid-40s AD),  and the last were St John’s corpus, his Gospel,  Letters and the Book of Revelation, towards the end of the 1^st Century AD. But as the last of them were written by the Apostle John, all the books of the New Testament were written within living memory of Jesus.  

And they were all written either by eye witnesses to the events of Jesus’ life and ministry or by people who knew those eye witnesses. James, who was the brother of Jesus’. Paul was a persecutor of the early Church. We know that he witnessed Stephen being stoned to death and that probably happened within a year of the Resurrection, so Paul must have known about Jesus and what his Apostles were saying about him. Later, when Paul converted to the Christian faith, he met with the Apostles, and no doubt many others who’d known Jesus too. Luke, a companion of Paul. John, who identifies himself as an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ life and ministry a number of times in his writings. Mark who wrote the first Gospel and whom we think was Peter’s amanuensis. And Peter himself. In his 1^st Letter he says that he was  

‘…a witness to the sufferings of Christ…’ 

And in his 2^nd Letter he says,  

‘For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.’  

So from the very earliest days, the Gospel has been proclaimed and spread by eyewitness testimony. The fact that what those people witnessed happened a long time ago doesn’t make their testimony any less valid than the passage of time makes the testimony of Julius Caesar about the events of his campaigns in Gaul. The fact that the eyewitnesses to the events of Jesus’ ministry saw some strange things, some weird and wonderful things, some things that might even defy explanation, doesn’t alter the fact that they said they saw them. And perhaps even more importantly, it doesn’t alter the fact that they were willing to suffer and die rather than change their story.   

So can we trust the Scriptures? Well, when he tried to explain his reasoning, the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes said, 

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”  

And I think we can apply the same reasoning to the question of the truth of the Gospel. Is it possible that people would say that they had seen with their own eyes, the kind of extraordinary things they said about Jesus if they really hadn’t seen them? Why would they do that knowing that it would put them on a collision course with the very same authorities who’d put Jesus to death? What could they hope to gain from proclaiming the Gospel if they knew it wasn’t true? They’d have nothing to gain and everything to lose.  

I think it’s impossible to believe that they would say the things they said about Jesus if it wasn’t true so, as improbable as what they said sounds, it is the truth. And so, let’s listen to what they said in confidence that through their words and eyewitness testimony, through the words of scripture, we are listening to Jesus. And let’s give what Jesus says our full attention so that can we understand more fully what he’s saying to us and so that we can be more faithful to him in our lives. 
Amen.   

Propers for Lent 2, Sunday 1 March 2026

Entrance Antiphon 
Of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face. 
It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; 
hide not your face from me. 

The Collect 
O God, who has commanded us 
to listen to your beloved Son, 
be pleased, we pray, 
to nourish us inwardly by your word, 
that, with spiritual sight made pure, 
we may rejoice to behold your glory. 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
God, for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

The Readings 
Genesis 12:1-4  
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 
2 Timothy 1:8-10 
Matthew 17:1-9 

Prayer after Communion  
As we receive these glorious mysteries, 
we make thanksgiving to you, O Lord, 
for allowing us while still on earth 
to be partakers even now of the things of heaven. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
Amen. 

Lent is the great penitential season of the Church’s year. So we’re now in that time of year when we’re called more than at any other time, to think about our own sinfulness. To think about our own lives and how far short of the teaching and example of Christ we fall. To think about how we might do better in the future and, hopefully, start to work at actually being better in the future.  

I’m sure that most, if not all of us here today will know that already. But even so, I think there’s often some misunderstanding about we mean when we talk about sin. And the Church itself, I think, adds to the confusion because during the liturgy we confess and receive absolution for our sins and we declare that Jesus, the Lamb of God, takes away the sins of the world. But we also say that he takes away the sin of the world.  So why do we speak about both sin and sins, and does it matter?  

Actually, yes, it does matter because although sin and sins are connected, they’re not the same and if we really want to make progress in our discipleship and grow in the Christian faith, it’s important that we understand what the difference is. Because if we don’t understand the difference, there’s a danger that, if we can’t call to mind any sins we’ve committed, we can believe that we’re actually without sin and that is a very dangerous thing to think indeed! So let’s start at the beginning. What are we really talking about when we speak about sin and sins?  

The root of both sin and sins is disobedience to God; to think, speak and act in ways that are contrary to God’s will. And as we know from the Great Commandment, what God wills is for us to love him above all others, and to love one another as much as we love ourselves. So this is the starting point, and if we know this, then we know that to be sinful is not to love God and our neighbour as he calls us to. The difference is that sin is what causes us to act contrary to God’s will. Sin is a state of being which renders us liable, or even predisposed, to this kind of disobedience. Sins, on the other hand, are the actual acts of disobedience that we carry out. So sin is the cause of our disobedience to God, and sins are the ways in which we show our disobedience to God.   

One way to try and understand this is to look at it like an illness or disease. So just as a cold or flu is caused by a virus which displays itself through symptoms such as a headache, blocked or running nose, sore throat and so on, our acts of disobedience to God are symptoms of a disease which we call sin.   

One of the great problems with sin is that it’s both a hereditary disease;  it’s passed on within families, and it’s an infectious disease; it’s passed on by and through people we come into contact with during our lives. And we can’t lockdown to escape sin because it’s a disease of the mind and spirit, so we don’t even have to come into physical contact with others to be infected. We can be infected with sin simply by seeing, hearing or reading about what others are saying and doing. And it has a 100% transmission rate; we’ve all come into contact with sin, and we’re all infected with it. As with other diseases, we can have a mild or severe case of sin, just as we can have a slight or heavy cold. And, in the same way, how severe our infection is can be gauged by the severity of our symptoms, in the case of sin, by the number and magnitude of our sins. We’ll all go through times when our sin flares up and times when it subsides. But even when we’re going through times when we don’t seem to be showing any symptoms at all, we still have sin, the disease is still there, lying in wait to flare up again because, as St John tells us,  

‘If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.’  

But the great problem with the disease of sin is that it has a 100% mortality rate. Sin may not directly kill us in a bodily sense but, if it’s left untreated, it will be eternally fatal to us in a spiritual sense.  

So we can liken sin to a terrible disease, one we’re all infected with because we can’t avoid coming into contact with it, one that has unpleasant symptoms, and one that is ultimately and eternally fatal to all of us. That’s not a pleasant thought. But the good news is that something can be, and has been, done about sin because this is the problem, the disease that Christ came into the world to remedy. But how does he do that?  

According to our liturgy, Jesus, the Lamb of God takes away both the sin and the sins of the world, that is, he deals with both the disease and its symptoms. But Jesus hasn’t cured us of the disease of sin, we know that because we still show the symptoms of the disease; we still commit sins. What Jesus has done though is, first of all, he’s offered us a remedy to ease the symptoms of sin. He’s done that through his teaching and example and the more closely we follow his advice, the fewer and less severe our symptoms will be – we’ll commit fewer sins. It’s a bit like taking a Lemsip; they don’t cure our cold, but they do deal with the symptoms. And Jesus offers us the hope, the assurance, that if we follow his advice in this life, we can finally be cured of sin, the disease, in the life to come. And the cure he offered was his sacrifice on the Cross, his blood poured out for us, the antidote to sin that will allow our spiritual bodies to be free from this terrible illness so that we can enter heaven and live forever.  

The season of Lent began on Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, when, according to the tradition of the Church, we were marked on the forehead with the sign of the Cross, made in ashes. The Church offers a choice of words that can be used as that’s done,  

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  

or, 

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” 

It’s always been my practice though to use both sets of words. And I do that because, while the first set reminds us of our mortal nature, that we are all going to die one day, the second reminds us of the great Christian hope that whilst our bodies will, inevitably, turn to dust or ashes, we can live on through our faith in Christ and our obedience to his word.  

To me those words encapsulate what this season of Lent is really all about. To remember that that our mortal lives will come to an end, just as Christ’s did, but that in Christ and through Christ, there is hope for an eternal life after this one. Those words call us to contemplate our lives and repent, to turn away from all that we do that could stop us from entering that life, and to turn to Christ and follow him on the way that leads to eternal life so that we can celebrate Easter all the more, confident that his Resurrection points us to our own eternal reward.  

So, over these weeks of Lent, let’s think about those words that were used on Ash Wednesday. About our own mortality and about all that holds us back from following Christ more closely. Let’s think, honestly, about the sins we commit so that we can judge how badly the disease of sin has taken hold of us and is affecting us. And it does affect us, all of us. We’re all sick and we need healing. But just as there would be no point in going to a doctor when we’re ill, hoping they’d do something to make us better, and then simply ignoring the doctor’s advice, so there’s no point in turning to Christ in the hope of a remedy to our sins and a cure for sin, and then simply ignoring what he says either.  

To borrow and rather freely use the words of St Thomas Aquinas, rather let us come to our Lord Jesus Christ, as sick let us come to the Physician of life, that we may enter eternal life. And having come, let’s listen to his advice so that we might find a remedy for our sickness and allow him to take away both our sins and our sin.  

Amen.  

---

Propers for Lent 1, Sunday 22nd February 2026

Entrance Antiphon 
When he calls on me, I will answer him; 
I will deliver him and give him glory, 
I will grant him length of days. 

The Collect 
Grant, almighty God, 
through the yearly observances of holy Lent, 
that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ, 
and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. 
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
God, for ever and ever. 
Amen. 

The Readings 
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7  
Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17 
Romans 5:12-19 
Matthew 4:1-11 

Prayer after Communion  
Renewed now with heavenly bread, 
by which faith is nourished, hope increased, 
and charity strengthened, 
we pray, O Lord, 
that we may learn to hunger for Christ, 
the true and living Bread, 
and strive to live by every word which proceeds from your mouth. 
Through Christ our Lord. 
Amen.