Lent has started. We had a joyful and sugary pancake supper for Shrove Tuesday and then a solemn and beautiful worship service for Ash Wednesday. The Epiphany star has come down and the sanctuary is adorned with the stations of the cross and a moving display of the crosses you made. All is set for Lent, this time of introspection, contrition, acts of charity, prayer, fasting, and focusing on your relationship with God.
Typically in Lent, people either give something up or take on something. In an effort to pay attention to the right things, I intend to give up being on my phone when I’m in the presence of my children, and to take on writing in a prayer journal for fifteen minutes each morning.
As a church, we will discuss the book “An Altar in the World,” along with some very long gospel readings. The gospel stories are fleshy encounters with Jesus. The book directs us to discover God’s presence in unlikely places. Both will be wonderful companions for our Lenten Journey.
We will once again gather for soup suppers and vespers with testimonies, hearing honest stories about faith and life. It’s one of my favorite things we do as church.
I am looking forward to this season together, as we intentionally draw closer to God. I pray for you as Lent begins.
