Today is Ash Wednesday, and our Lenten journey begins in earnest. Please join us this evening for our Valentine’s “Breakfast for Dinner" Potluck at 5:30 PM, followed by our Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 PM, as we remember our deep need for Jesus.
During our Lenten Journey, we will remember Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness just after his baptism and before the start of his public ministry. During Lent, we walk with Jesus in the wilderness, trusting that God is with us daily in hard places and spaces of life.
Lent is sometimes considered a heavy season, as we remember the 40 difficult days Jesus spent in the wilderness. However, Lent is also a time of joyful growth. Indeed, God grows and stretches us as only He can, and it's joyous to see what God can do when we are open to growth.
I think it is interesting that the word Lent comes from the old English word for "lengthen." Lent is a season of the church year that takes place just as the days are becoming longer. I wonder, what does God want to grow and "lengthen" in us during Lent? Maybe God wants to "lengthen" the amount of time we spend in daily prayer or study. Perhaps, God wants to grow and "lengthen" the impact of our shared ministry together. Maybe God wants to "lengthen" our understanding of grace so that we can receive it and extend it more freely.
No matter what God wants to "lengthen" in us as individuals or as a church family this Lenten season, God's growth is always rooted in love and exactly what we need. May God continually grow our understanding of how wide, long, high, and deep his love is through his son, Christ Jesus!