New clothes

I follow various Christian organisations on Facebook and many are posting daily lent reflections. The Church of England has a produced a series of thoughts entitled Lent Pilgrim.

Today’s title is New Clothes and the reading comes from Colossians 3:9-15 focusing on the verse

“clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience…”

I must admit I haven’t signed up to the accompanying daily emails so I can’t tell you what they have to say but just the small verse above was very pertinent today as I took a collection of 30 coats from my church to a local collection point for a charity who will take them across to Calais and distribute them amongst the refugees gathered there living in the streets and under tarpaulins.

The coats have been kept in the main body of the church and most people have responded with amazing generosity.

However there are always some negative comments, I’ve not heard any personally but one older member of the congregation told me today that someone had complained to her about the messy pile and her reply was…

            “Are you warm?”

            The complainer nodded.

            “Well these coats are for people who are not as fortunate.”

Or words to that effect – I am so pleased people have taken to the cause and given.

So often we don’t know how to respond to the great disasters of this world. And there are plenty of things that have happened just over the past week in the world that make us weep, from the cyclone in Africa to the tragedy in New Zealand and Red Nose Day highlighting a whole range of issues including the rise of food bank use and starving children in our own country!

How do we respond? How can we help? Especially when the need is so far away beyond our reach. And if we give to something so remote we often wonder if it really reaches those who need it most.

I know many people who are stretched, or at least their finances are and there is only so much you can give and keep giving out.

But lent can be a time to look around and see what you don’t need and give it away.

After all just how many coats can you wear on your back?

And by giving an item of clothing away you are clothing yourself with all those good virtues listed above

compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience!

(not quite sure if patience actually fits in this instance but the others certainly apply.)

The passage in Colossians finishes with these wise words…

            “And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all purpose garment. Never be without it.”