(Photo: Getty/iStock)
Each year, Lent invites us to consider what we might sacrifice. It prompts the same questions: What will you give up? Sweet treats? Social media? We rightly enter a season of reflection, repentance and restraint as we walk towards Easter – as we walk towards the cross.
But what if this season is not only about what we surrender for ourselves, but about what we release for the good of others?
For many, scarcity is not a 40-day discipline; it is daily life.
If Lent calls us to identify with Christ’s sacrifice made on the Cross during Easter, it also invites us to consider how we might share with those that are going without.
Across the UK, people are not simply ‘cutting back’ – they are going without. Individuals and families are in genuine need of the basics – groceries, heating, school equipment. These needs do not pause during celebratory seasons; if anything, they become more visible.
A report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), which conducts research aimed at solving poverty in Britain, said the overall poverty rate in the UK fell slightly from 24% in 1994/95 to 21% in 2023/24, but “very deep poverty” edged up from 8% to 10%, now accounting for almost half of everyone in poverty.
Perhaps this Lent, the Church needs to expand the conversation. Yes, fast. Yes, pray. Yes, examine your heart.
But also give.
As we fast and pray, perhaps we should also ask: what could we share? What might we release for the sake of someone else?
We can all take action
It is easy to think that generosity must be large to matter. Yet often it is the small, thoughtful acts that leave the greatest impression.
A contribution towards a specific need. A home cooked meal for a struggling family. A lift to the shops for someone in need. An encouraging text. A listening ear. Supporting your local foodbank. Volunteering your time. These acts may seem ordinary, but they communicate something powerful: you are seen, valued, and you are not alone.
Generosity in this way, could support someone to make a fresh start; supporting them as they get back on their feet again.
These are the types of needs we’re still trying to meet today and this is what inspires the work we do at Acts 435 – The apostles distributed what they had, just like our advocates, based in churches and local charities.
In one case, a family required a baby cot, mattress and safety gates for their newborn child. After receiving support from donors through Acts 435, Sandra* said she felt “so good inside for a change.” The assistance brought a renewed sense of hope. Reflecting on the future, she shared: “What a great future we’re going to have, and precious memories to come.”
The book in Acts in the twenty-first century
It’s in moments like this that we see Acts 4:32–35 lived out, where the Church refused to allow a need to sit unanswered among them. This passage describes the radical generosity of the early church where people even sold their homes to make sure no one amongst them lacked. Resources were placed at the apostles’ feet and distributed to those in need.
Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 9:7 cut against both guilt-driven appeals and comfortable apathy: “God loves a cheerful giver.” Not a pressured giver. Not a reluctant giver. A cheerful one.
Christian generosity is not about emotional manipulation or seasonal impulse. It is rooted in joy – the joy of knowing that what we release from our hands can be used by God to meet someone at their point of need. This Lent, as we remember Christ’s sacrifice, perhaps we can also rediscover the gift of giving. Not only what we give up, but what we give out. Share what you have – not as owners, but as stewards.
Because when Christians give in this way, it does more than relieve practical hardship. It restores hope! It points people back to Jesus – whose life was marked by meeting people at their point of need. I’m reminded of the time Jesus healed a lame man, after 38 years of suffering. Reaching the pool of Bethesda on his own was no easy feat, but Jesus came in, and met him at his need.
Lent provides a natural moment to reflect on this. As we examine our Christian walk, let’s also examine how open-handed we are. Do we see our possessions and resources as ultimately ours, or as gifts entrusted to us?
When we voluntarily give something up during Lent, we step – albeit briefly – into the experience of lack. From this, we decide whether that moment shapes our personal lives alone or prompts us to serve beyond ourselves.
Jenny Herrera is executive director of Acts 435 and has been involved in the charity since operations began in October 2009. She grew up in York, and is a chartered accountant by profession. She also runs the Good Business Charter, and is actively involved in her local church. You can partner with Acts 435 here: acts435.org.uk/partner
*Name changed to protect confidentiality
