The minister writes… from our March 2026 newsletter
Lent: Choosing the Right Path
Dear friends,
Back in 2024 when I was on sabbatical, my good friend Lindsey and I were walking the Three Castles Path (from Windsor to Winchester via St John’s Castle at Odiham). It’s a distance of 60 miles in total, although we did it in very small increments over a long period.
Image Sharon Gardner
The sabbatical gave us the opportunity to complete the last third of it. One particular day we were walking steadily along, in good spirits and chatting cheerfully. At some point, distracted by the conversation, we missed a signpost. The path in front of us still looked perfectly pleasant – and nice and easy downhill too! – so we thought nothing of it.
It was only much later — when the landmarks no longer matched the map — that we realised we had been on the wrong track. You can imagine how down in the dumps we felt! Our choice was either to retrace our steps all the way uphill or take a very long detour to get back to where we should have been.
It occurs to me how much that resembles our spiritual journeys.
Lent comes round each year, not to make us miserable, and not simply to encourage us to give up chocolate, but to help us notice which direction we are heading. The Gospels tell us that Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness, where he faced very real temptations — to take easier paths, quicker routes, more comfortable options. Each time, despite personal cost, he chose the way that kept him close to his Father.
In our own day, the “wrong turnings” are rarely dramatic. They are usually small. We become distracted. We stop paying attention. Prayer slips. Patience wears thin. A resentment is quietly held on to. Grief, illness or worry get in our way and trip us up. We don’t set out to wander from God — we simply fail to notice we’ve drifted.
And like that country track, the way can look perfectly pleasant for quite some time…..
The good news of Lent is that it is never too late to pause, check the map, and turn back. God does not sigh impatiently when we retrace our steps. Jesus walks with us, even on the detours. Indeed, he is often the one who gently shows us the signpost we missed.
Following in Christ’s footsteps is not about dramatic gestures. It is about steady attention — choosing kindness over sharpness, hope over despair, trust over anxiety. It is about walking deliberately with him, rather than simply assuming we are on the right road.
Perhaps this Lent we might quietly ask ourselves from time to time: “Lord, am I still walking with you?” And if we discover we have wandered a little, we need not be downcast. The path back is always open.
With every blessing,
Sharon