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Good morning. Today is Shrove Tuesday, for some Christians the last chance to live life to the hilt before the disciplines of Ash Wednesday and beyond come upon us!

Traditionally Shrove Tuesday was the day for eating up the rich foods which were forbidden during the Lenten fast – meat if you were rich enough; and if you only had butter, eggs and sugar, to dispose of, well, they can still make quite a feast of pancakes.

In some parts of the world, preparing for Lent became even more of a final fling – Mardi Gras, meaning ‘Fat Tuesday’, turned into a longer period of Carnival, literally ‘Farewell to meat’, which could last a week or more.

At first glance, the full-blown, no holds barred, exuberance of Carnival appears so in contrast with the disciplines of Lent that these revelries would seem a quite inappropriate way to prepare for the holy season ahead. But I think there are good reasons for holding the two together.

For the object of Lent is surely that Christians should offer the rich abundant totality of our lives, lock stock and barrel, to the purifying days ahead. All of us need to know the redeeming grace that Jesus Christ has won for us on the cross.  Carnival invites us to relish the glorious breadth and fullness of who we are – and then we bring all of this, warts and all, rather than just a narrow Sunday best version of our lives, for the widest possible refining in the 40 days ahead.

And here’s another thought – instead of giving things up for Lent, Carnival’s celebration of life might also point us to things we might take up, to help shape our lives to be more like Christ’s.

Lord Jesus Christ, who feasted with sinners, give us courage to live to the full the life you have given us, and to offer it fully to your redeeming love. Amen.