The daffodils are for St David’s Day, but David has been our theme previously, so this month our focus is on Lent, which starts today, on Ash Wednesday. Lent is a time for self-examination, and how better to do this than use the idea that Michael Paterson shared recently with the St Margaret’s congregation. He surprised everyone by suggesting we write our own obituaries – the short summary of our lives that would appear after we had died – and ended by asking:

So what will your obituary say? That you chose life, or you chose death? That you put yourself first, made yourself number one? Or that you found your life by bringing others back to life?

True holiness has little to do with being on retreat. True holiness has little to do with even coming to church. True holiness is about taking people down from the crosses to which life has pinned them and lending a shoulder to help roll away the stone from all that prevents them from rising from the dead.

And so, whether you are in your 20s, your 50s, or your 80s, why not have a go at writing your own obituary, imagining what you would like to be remembered for after you die and then, start living that way, not tomorrow, not when you can get round to it, but right here, right now, today.

After all, why wait till your life is over to start rising from the dead when you can be the living proof to others that Resurrection – a fresh start – a whole new way of living can begin right here, right now?

And if you do, then you will have fulfilled the Scripture: ‘See today, I set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life that you and your household may live and be free.’ (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Do make time during your Lenten preparation to read the whole sermon.