Our household objects today are keepsakes and our Bible passage is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
Are you a hoarder or a de-clutterer? Keepsakes are usually objects that might not have a practical purpose in the home such as the washing-machine or vacuum cleaner but which we keep because of the memories that are attached to them or the sentimental value they have, being a gift from a loved one.
According to our Bible passage, there is a time to gather such objects and a time to let them go too. The Bible calls us to remember many things – chiefly the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, which we do most significantly as we share in Holy Communion, that love feast inaugurated immediately before His death – but it also reminds us that there are things we need to let go of and forget (see Isaiah 43:18). Getting the balance right isn’t always easy, but this Lent period is a good time perhaps to de-clutter (that ‘spring clean’ that is necessary to keep on top of things!) and to ponder what is really important and must always be remembered.