Perhaps this will surprise you, but I like Lent. It certainly is a busier season for me due to extra services and the like, but I appreciate the time to reflect, to be disciplined, to seek God with renewed passion. I hope you will take a long, deep look at yourself during these next 40 days to see where God is encouraging you to do some weeding or growing.
In Sunday services throughout Lent, our theme will be discernment. That’s a churchy word for figuring out what God’s will is. As Christians, we should consider what God would like us to do in every decision we make. From what we eat to what we do with our time to where we go to college, God would like to have some input. I think many of us would like his opinion as well. But it’s not so easy. God rarely speaks in a booming voice from the heavens giving exacting directions. Most of the time God speaks in a still soft voice that’s easy to miss. So how are we supposed to make decisions as Christians? How do we know what God expects of us? How can we feel confident about the choices we make? Hopefully this series will help us start to answer these questions.
I also want to invite you to two other upcoming opportunities. First, our midweek Lenten services. Giving up an evening of your week to spend some time with God and his people is an excellent Lenten discipline. We’re making it even easier this year by having dinner available before our informal services. I hope you’ll join us. Secondly, beginning Sunday, March 15, Jesse Heetland and I will be leading a comparative religions class. See the following article for more information. Hope to see you there!
Grace on your Lenten journey, Pastor Ruth