Thoughts from the Pastor
on our Lenten Journey

I made the confession at Evening Prayer that as of Ash Wednesday, I had not yet defined my Lenten discipline for this year.

I had a feeling about what it was, but just didn’t have it spelled out in my mind. I have since been able to define it, but it made me think.

It made me think about the whole practicing of selecting a discipline.

What happens if you don’t select one?

Nothing.

The ‘nothing’ means more than avoiding punishment. To be sure, I am not going to stand in the pulpit and call you out.

Nothing will happen.

But, the same holds true for your spiritual life, your relationship with God. Nothing.

The forty days will pass. You’ll get to Holy Week along with everyone else. But a window will have closed, and you won’t be ready. Nothing will have happened.

Lent is an opportunity. It is this time when we can be more intentional about tending our relationship with God. Sure, this should be part of our daily life, in June and September and November as much as February and March. But here are these days set aside specifically to practice our relationship with God.
If you don’t have anything yet, you could:

+Commit to setting aside a particular amount of time each day to prayer and reading scripture

+Make notes each day about where you saw God at work (which will be helpful when you come to church the following Sunday – you will then easily write an example of where you saw God at work and put it in the basket)

+Give something up. When you find yourself wanting that thing, use it as a cue to turn to God and pray.

+Read Three Cups of Tea (a couple of copies will be available in our library), or something else of your choice.

Whether you start on Ash Wednesday or in the midst of the second week of Lent doesn’t matter. It only matters that you join the journey.

The journey is really all about getting us ready for the journey of Holy Week. It gets our spirits primed, so that when Palm Sunday arrives we’re ready to enter into prayerful, mindful worship. Then on Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, and at the Vigil, our Spirit will be renewed in this profound way that really goes beyond words.

I want you to experience that. So get ready! Now!

Journeying with you, in Christ,
 
Pastor Julianne Smeck