This month’s letter comes from Rev Steve.
“Discipline” is an unpopular word. It makes many think of punishment or a grim routine, pursued for its own sake, and without a smile. Yet actually it comes from the Latin word that means both to teach and to learn… the word that gives us “disciple”, “discernment” and even “discussion”. Without the discipline of my driving lessons (and the patience of my driving instructor), I would never have passed my driving test! Without the time set aside for practice or exercise, the musician, athlete or author would find it harder to achieve the goal they aim for.
So, as we prepare for the season of Lent that begins on Wednesday 18th February, now is the time to ask, in a positive way, what discipline am I hoping to adopt in the forty days that will lead me towards that great celebration of God’s grace that is focused in Easter?
One Lent, I was invited to a series of fitness sessions by the local GPs surgery for people with chronic lung conditions like the sarcoidosis that I live with. This involved a journey across Bury twice a week for a morning routine, and some gentle explanation of my symptoms. The fact that it took place in Lent was just a coincidence. But the symbolism was not lost on me!
I adapted some of the exercises we learnt into a small morning routine with which I now begin each day. I do a sequence of exercises and stretches to some music that I like. Nobody said this had to be grim – I choose Taizé choruses, even though they are not the most naturally aerobic musical items you may think of! And the little, frequent, sustainable physical discipline each day for my body has an impact on my overall and spiritual well-being. It means that my body panics less when it has to deal with the everyday stresses later in the day.
The NHS had done a better job for me than my own Lenten discipline. And I learnt an important lesson. Better to aim for a small, frequent, and sustainable practice that I can do each day; better to link it with something pleasant that I enjoy; better to listen to my body, since I am a whole human being, of body, mind and spirit – for it is with my body, motivated by my spirit, that I care for my neighbour – just as Holy Week and Easter is about God’s decisive work in and through Jesus’ body – his life, death and resurrection – made tangible for us every time we celebrate the Eucharist.
When the going gets tough around me, it’s the disciplines like this that keep me going – and that keep me open to the grace that I can never earn or deserve, but is always there in the presence of our Lord, Jesus Christ, holding us, praying for us, and keeping us safe.
Revd Steve
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 