Lenten Season 2020
IS LENT A SPIRITUALLY FULFILLING TIME FOR YOU?
Many people are not
so keen on this penitential season of the church. They find it a
little bit dark and depressing. I get that. By this time in
winter, I’m getting a little bummed myself. It’s a good time to
reflect on what our spiritual life is all about. A good time to put
just a tiny bit more effort in connecting with our faith.
Many Christians now participate in the ancient ritual of receiving
ashes on ASH WEDNESDAY. They continue that discipline by
‘giving up’ something like coffee, chocolate or complaining (good
luck with that last one!) for the sake of Jesus. Sometimes they give
up Wednesday evenings, snug at home, and instead join their church
family for a simple meal and a Lenten service. These are all good
disciplines that help remind us that Jesus gave up much, much more
for us – just to show us how much we are loved by God.
Please join us for ASH WEDNESDAY AT ST. PETER (11:00 AM) OR ST. LUKE
(7:00) to receive the Ashes, a solemn reminder of our mortality, along
with the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
WEDNESDAY’S DURING LENT we will have a service in the evening at
St. Luke’s. We begin at 6:00 pm with a SOUP SUPPER and then a
SERVICE AT 7:00. Our participating pastors will be Pr. Bob Noble
(Calvary), Pr. Holli Burkhard (Rocky Ridge), Pr. Shawn O’Brien
(Williston), Pr. Steve Bull (Zion, Latcha), Pr. Jaci Tiell (Interim,
Grace, Elmore) and yours truly.
Ἁ Ὠ
With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on
high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year
old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten
thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has
told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of
you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with
your God? _Micah 6:6-8
Such a lovely passage. Being thankful to God for our many blessings
is really simple, but not always easy. ‘Doing justice’ is not
interpreted the same by everyone; we forget to be kind; and humility
does not come naturally for us. It sounds easy, but it’s not.
Another blessing we are given is forgiveness when we fail. In Christ
we are forgiven, so we can continue on the journey. That’s Good
News!
Blessing for your Lenten journey …. Pr. Rita