Lent begins on February 14 this year…which also happens to be Valentine’s Day. So maybe you’ll join us for Ash Wednesday worship, and then take a loved one to dinner. The coming of Lent always reminds me of a true story—I saw this happen. Back in the 90’s when I was in seminary, and working as a Youth and Family minister, the pastor’s wife of that congregation was asked by someone a few minutes before a meeting what she was giving up for Lent. She didn’t hesitate; with a straight face she said: “I’m giving up smoking, lying and cussing this year.”

I suspect she was playing some sort of mind game—and it worked; the lady who asked her was quite surprised and said, “Oh my!” nervously. But that is one of the main questions of the Lenten season, isn’t it? What are we giving up as an act of contrition, or to identify with the suffering of Jesus. And there’s a very long tradition of that within the Church. And if that’s a part of your spiritual discipline I hope your heart and soul are blessed by the practice.

For those of you who don’t have a history of sacrificing chocolate, or meat, or cussing (Oh, my) I’m going to recommend a different Lenten practice: try ADDING something to your daily life. The possibilities are endless…you could try to add more of the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control), or you could join in a local service ministry, or…well the possibilities are endless…

I’m going to specifically mention 3 for your consideration:

add a little bit of Bible reading to your day…just a couple verses:

Take a brief passage of a Gospel, or a short Psalm, and just read it at a casual pace.

• Stop and sit with it for a minute, then simply read it again.

• Ponder if a single word rises from it…return to that word through your day.

  ADD a couple minutes of “flash prayer” to your day:

• Set aside a short span of time—just a minute or 2— when you are around people.

• Take note of 3-4 people individually (even people you don’t know).

• Lift them before God, asking his blessing on them.

  ADD the Jesus Prayer to your daily routine:

• Pray: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

• repeat this prayer slowly 5, 6, 12 times as you breathe slowly.

These are all modern revisitations of ancient practices. They’re meant to keep us feeling God’s abiding presence with us throughout the day.

Whatever you do for Lent, give something up, add something in, both, or neither, I pray that your journey with Jesus to the Cross and the Empty Tomb are meaningful for you!

Peace,

Pastor Derek