What are you giving up for lent? Chocolate and television seem popular this year! But an equally important question is what are you going to take up for God in lent? A commitment to pray more regularly, to serve others in a particular way? Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of lent, a time of self reflection and discovery. The ash, traditionally placed on the forehead is made from burnt palm crosses and is a powerful symbol for us in this season. Palms were representative of victory and ash of sin and mortality and so together are a strong reminder of the challenge to move from away from our sinfulness and towards the light and salvation of God. The message of Jesus is that he has come to clean us up and give us a fresh start and as John’s gospel reminds us ‘God did not send his son into the world to be its judge but to be its saviour’ (ch3 v17). The reflection on our sinfulness is not to make us so depressed that we want to give up, but rather to show us the reality of our lives, the need for God and the salvation and freedom we can find in him if we let him in to the dark places we’d prefer to pretend were not there. Wouldn’t it be amazing if by Easter we saw our lives and our life with God in a different way? So as we reflect on what we might give up for lent or even take up for God in the next 6 weeks, let these things represent the inward journey of giving up the ash and taking on the victory Jesus brings.