The Gift of Lent

So much of our lives are spent in what the framers of our constitution called "the pursuit of happiness."  Generally this is played out in our daily choices by seeking our pleasures and minimizing our painful moments--sometimes refered to as "the path of least resistance."  The season of Lent acts as a counter balance for us as we look for deeper meaning for our lives, a greater spiritual experience and a closer relationship between our God and ourselves.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17 this year, a moment when we are confronted by our own mortality.  We are reminded that someday  someone will be speaking over our own body, "Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."  In these words we are caused to ask the truly imortant questions.  "Am I ready should my life be soon required of me?  What is my ultimate eternal destination?  In this moment, is my heart right before God?  Am I at peace with myself, my loved ones, my neighbors?  Do I trust in my Savior Jesus completely?  Is my faith strong enough to face all challenges, including the end of my days?  Am I confident all will be well, both now in time and througout eternity, because I trust in God's 'Amazing Grace?'"

Ash Wednesday challenges us with these questions and calls us to account by our answers (or lack of them).  So we enter into the Season of Lent where we have the opportunities to draw closer to God, build up our faith and grow in assurance of our salvation in Jesus.  Lent calls us to leave the easy life of drifting along in the "pursuit of happiness," and enter into a life of purposefully seeking God and growing as a Disciple of Christ.

How is this done?  We once again engage in the disciplined life of one who is learning from Jesus.  We take up or intensify the practices of faith that bring us closer to God.  Along with quality time spent in prayer, meditation and scripture reading, we may additionally take up a form of self-denial that will enhance the usual ways we approach our God.  We can consider fasting in one degree or another or perhaps giving up one small pleasure or habit for the six weeks of the season.  Let me encourage you to consider this, not in terms of losing out or giving up, but rather along the lines of making new gains or opening up new horizons.  While on the one hand these spiritual disciplines do help us in strengthening our spiritual life and gaining mastery over our corporal life, there is another benefit to be found.  We open up a new window of time to give us more opportunities to discover new depths to our relationship with Jesus.  We have the chance to appreciate the lasting joys, not just the fleeting happiness, that make us glad to be a dedicated Christian.

So our prayer is you take up this challenge of a Lenten journey.  You never can tell where this adventure will lead, but you know you can trust our guide, the Holy Spirit of God.  You can be certain you will always be led in the right path and that, ultimately, you will be glad you made the trip.  Enjoy your experiences along the way.  Looking forward to seeing you at Easter when I am convinced we will discover the payoff for all our faithful efforts.

In Christ,

Pastor Carl