FROM THE DESK OF PASTOR TED

It is hard to believe that I am writing to you about the season of Lent. It seems I just wrote you about the Christmas season and all the preparation for the celebration of Jesus birth. Now we are soon going to be studying about Jesus' journey to Jerusalem where he will give up his live for our sins and the celebration of his bodily resurrection from the grave on Sunday April 08.

You may ask yourself “What is the significance of Lent ” , well Lent is the fourth season of the Christian year. Its length is the 40 days preceding Easter Day, not counting Sundays, starting with Ash Wednesday. This means Lent always begins on a Wednesday, known as Ash Wednesday. This year Ash Wednesday is on February 22 and we will be having a worship service that evening.

Why Ash Wednesday? Well, traditionally, the Christian church has observed the seven weeks before Easter as a time of penitence and spiritual self-examination. Ash Wednesday, derives its name from the ancient practice of marking the foreheads of worshipers with ashes from the unused palm branches of the previous year.

Ashes historically have had a dual significance. First, they are Old Testament symbols of sadness and humility. Job, in the midst of all his troubles, cried out to God from the ash heap. The second symbolic meaning of ashes is as a reminder of our mortality. Each of us faces the inevitability of physical death. Our bodies and material possessions eventually will turn to dust and ashes. This is a reminder that we dare not trust in things that crumble. But Lent does not leave us on the ash heap. It begins with Ash Wednesday, but ends with Easter. And Easter proclaims that, through Christ, God resurrects us from our dust and ashes, makes us new creatures and brings life out of death! Lent also commemorates Jesus ’ fast and temptation in the wilderness of Judea Province, which, according to the Gospel, lasted 40 days. Just as Jesus confronted his temptations during these 40 days, Lent helps Christians focus on our most basic need as sinners: forgiveness. The only way our Lord ’ s forgiving power can become effective in our lives is by our taking the initiative to confront our sins, confess them and repent of them. In short, Lent is a season of penitence.

If we take Lent seriously, we can begin to discover a new vision for life a more joyous way to live. Lent can enable us to discover the immeasurable benefits of living the Christian life passionately. Some Christians fast during Lent. This denial of bodily comforts can help encourage self-reflection about the need for Jesus ’ forgiveness. However, there are many other individual approaches to strengthening the spiritual life, including: choosing to praying more often, reading the Bible and devotional literature, engaging more often in public worship, serving God more intensely in the world.

We miss the mark if we focus only on our desires. Lent ought to be a time of deeper dedication to God and seeking ways in which we can help to further God ’ s kingdom on Earth. I believe it is important that each Christian practice some spiritual discipline during this season of Lent to “ show that you are a letter of Christ “ written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts ” (2 Corinthians 3:3, NRSV).

Grace & Peace Pastor Ted