“’Even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning …
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in love,
and he relents from sending calamity.”
(Joel 2:12-13)
The Christian Season of Lent is the forty days prior to Easter (minus Sundays). Though the earliest Lenten traditions are unclear, it appears to have been a time for educating those new to the faith to prepare them for baptism on Easter itself. It eventually become a time for the renewal of the faithful. Today Lent clearly focuses on the need for personal repentance, as well as the need for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You know how many people make resolutions on New Year’s Day? Many Christians perceive Lent similarly, and will give something up for Lent (like caffeine, TV, or something else they may perceive as a vice). Sadly, just as with New Year’s resolutions, they often don’t make it very far! This is commonly because they can’t get whatever it is they have given up off their minds, and they finally cave! Think about it: if you give up sugar for Lent, what is your mind going to be focused on during the whole Lenten season? SUGAR, of course, and how sad you are that you can’t eat it!
Because of this, Presbyterians prefer to take on a new healthy discipline that may replace an unhealthy one. Want to give up sugar? Well, eat an apple or carrot or salad instead. Remember, you won’t crave sugar as much if you aren’t hungry. Want to give up TV? Read a book that excites you (especially one that helps you grow in your knowledge of and relationship with God!)
The church is offering you more potential Lenten Disciplines this year:
- A daily walk through John’s Gospel.
- An exercise called “Faith P.E.G.S.” which inspires daily time with God.
- A “Spiritual Gifts” course, to help you discern your God-given gifts.
- A sermon series entitled “The Marks of a Disciple” that will encourage us to grow as disciples of Jesus in six ever-so-important areas.
I hope you will make use of one or more of these offerings!
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday – February 26, this year. This day derives its name from the biblical association of ashes with repentance. The early church would actually be sprinkled with ashes as a reminder of their mortality and the need to repent. This year we will have an Ash Wednesday Worship Service, to be held in our sanctuary at 5 p.m. Please come and take part in this unique service!
Blessings! Pastor Bill
