Lent message from the Moderator of the Free Churches Group
To the Free Churches Community, England and Wales
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
As we move toward Lent, I write holding you in deep gratitude. We walk together through seasons of joy, strain, growth, and discovery, and I give thanks for the life we share as a community shaped by Christ’s love and God’s steady presence among us.
Lent invites us into sacred attentiveness. It is a forty-day journey that echoes Jesus’ time in the wilderness — a space where distractions fall away and truth rises closer to the surface. Lent gives the Church time to examine what forms us, what drains life from neighbour and the world, and where God is calling us toward deeper love, deeper justice, deeper faithfulness. It is a season of returning — returning to prayer, to compassion, to the work of repair in ourselves and in the world God loves.
Life moves quickly. Demands gather and noise surrounds us. Yet even in the midst of that movement, God continues a quiet, persistent work within us and among us. Our life together grows through shared commitment to Christ, through care for one another, and through the courage to live faith in ways that shape the world around us.
I hold close the words of Hebrews 10:24–25, calling us to encourage one another toward love and good works, and to remain rooted in community. I see this lived out in worship, in small groups, in conversations over refreshments, in acts of generosity seen and unseen. In these moments, the presence of God becomes visible through the life of this community — in your churches.
As we enter Lent, may we choose the way of truth. May we lay down what weakens love and take up what strengthens justice. May this season deepen our courage, steady our compassion, and renew our trust in the God who brings life from wilderness and light from shadow. We walk toward Easter together, shaped by grace and sent for the healing of the world.
With love and prayers,
Tessa
Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson
Moderator, Free Churches Group
The Lent reflection for week 2 is available to read HERE.
The Lent reflection for week 3 is available to read HERE.
