When we are in the Christian season of Lent our Muslim friends will often ask, ‘What you do in Lent?’ And inevitably they will ask, ‘Do you fast?’ And here we Christians have an obvious connecting point.
Spiritual re-orientation
spiritual re-orientation
In this blog from Phil, he encourages us to use Lent as a time to strengthen ourselves spiritually so we can reach out to others more effectively. There are also ways you can engage practically at the end.
A blog for lent
But Lent is not just about giving up chocolate or cheese. Or other forms of abstinence.
Jesus talked about not making a song and dance about fasting, but it being personal & secret.
“But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret.”
The rewards may indeed be physical benefits such as losing weight, feeling healthier, even food tasting better afterwards.
But it can also have a deeper, more hidden, impact.
“Fasting is the first principle of medicine; fast and see the strength of the spirit reveal itself”
Fasting can also help us to re-orientate ourselves spiritually, strengthen our spirits and refresh us and help us regain that lost sense of purpose.
“And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”
Action
Use Lent as an opportunity to draw near to God and strengthen your own commitment to Jesus.
Follow a daily reading scheme like:
- #livelent with the Anglican Church
- #40acts Stewardship’s generosity campaign
And then use Ramadan as an opportunity to pray:
- #30days prayer campaign for Muslim peoples
- #lovelast get involved with Mahabba’s prayer and action campaign
Footnotes
40acts: Against the Tide
Image: 40acts
40acts: Against the Tide
40acts has just featured a post from one of our local Mahabba prayer groups on day 35 of its campaign.
40acts is an annual campaign run by Stewardship during Lent, encouraging acts of generosity, and was the inspiration for Mahabba's Lovefast Ramadan campaign.
Today's theme is all about bucking the trends of society, and here's a snippet, which is to do with how we out work that in faith communitieis, including Muslim ones.
You can find a link to the full article below.
“In a culture which seems to thrive on negative perceptions and suspicion of difference, building friendships with people from other faith communities is one way we can do things differently. How will you swim against the tide of mistrust and fear? In which ways will you live out the message of reconciliation with which we have been entrusted?”
SINCE YOU'RE HERE...
... we have recently reached a total of 40 local Mahabba prayer groups in the UK - awesome news!
With your help, though, we would like to continue to sow, plant and support Mahabba groups.
Our work involves a small team of regional reps and central hub personnel investing in local coordinators and groups, as well as spreading the word.
To continue this vital mission to Muslims, we need to increase our regular monthly income.
Our initial target is to raise up 100 individual regular donors, giving an average of £10 to £15 per month.
Could you be one of the 100?