Pastor's Note
Lenten Reflection
Lent is the 40 days (but not Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and repentance to grow closer with God. The forty days of Lent correspond to the forty days Jesus spent in a wilderness preparing to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. This means this time for personal reflection prepares people’s souls and minds for what is marked on Good Friday and Easter.
Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, is the first day of Lent. Throughout the day and into the evening those who’ve attended an Ash Wednesday observance will wear a smudged, black cross on their foreheads. Those are ashes from the palm fronds used in the previous Palm Sun-day service. The ashes symbolize our grief for the things we’ve done wrong and the resulting division of imperfect people from a perfect God.
Maundy Thursday, March 28, commemorates the night before Jesus died, when he washed the disciples’ feet and instituted the Holy Communion through the shared Passover meal. Good Friday is the next day. It marks the day Christians remember Jesus’ death. The “Good” reflects how Jesus’ death was a sacrifice on our behalf so we can receive God’s forgiveness for our wrongs or sins.
Easter Sunday is the joyful celebration of God raising Jesus from the dead to give us the option for choosing the way leading to eternal life. While people still die, Jesus made the way for people to have a relationship with God in this life and to spend eternity with Him in heaven.
The three main things people focus on during Lent are 1. Prayer, 2. giving something up (or taking something on) and 3. practicing charity.
Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) to receive God’s mercy. Giving something up (or taking something on) is a very ancient practice during Lent. The idea is that giving up something that’s a regular part of life, like eating dessert or scrolling through Facebook, will be a constant reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice. That time can also be replaced with more time connecting with God. Giving money or doing something good for others is a way to then re-spond to God’s grace. Some people spend a part of their time volunteering or maybe donating money they would normally use at Starbucks.
It’s important to note that doing these things can nev-er make us earn, or deserve Jesus’ sacrifice, or a rela-tionship with God. People will never be good enough to measure up to God’s perfection. Only Jesus has the means to rescue us from ourselves.
Jesus sacrificed Himself on Good Friday to bear the punishment for all our wrongdoings and offer us forgiveness. God raised him from the dead on Easter Sunday so constructing a spiritual bridge connecting one who so believes into a relationship with God for eternity.
Spending time during Lent praying, fasting, taking something on, and practicing charity makes a person of faith closer and more attuned to Jesus’ scourging, pain and sacrifice on the cross so that his resurrection three days later is even more meaningful.
May God bless you during this Lent,
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Rev Colby Smith
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