Dear Church,
The
liturgical season of Lent—a time meant to represent the 40 days Jesus spent in
the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry—begins with Ash Wednesday on
February 13 and concludes on Good Friday (the day of the crucifixion), which
this year falls on March 29.
Traditionally, we are taught that we are supposed to give something up
during Lent as a symbol of our togetherness with Jesus as he fasted in the
wilderness. Because Jesus also faced the
temptations of Satan while in the wilderness, tradition dictates that we, too,
should give up something that tempts us.
In
past Lenten seasons, I have given up Facebook, video games, beer, and liquor
entirely, among other things. But I
haven’t yet settled on something to give up for Lent in 2013 (fortunately, I
still have a couple of weeks to decide!).
However,
we aren’t constrained simply to giving something up for Lent—we can also take
something up! Just as Jesus urges us to
take up our own personal crosses, we can take up new spiritual practices during
Lent. For instance, one of the things I
always tried doing while in seminary was reading verse-by-verse through a book
of the Bible that I otherwise wouldn’t have much occasion to read (like, say,
one of the minor prophets).
All
of this is to say that we truly are not constrained in ways to seek and worship
God. In planning out your Lenten journey,
feel free to think outside the proverbial box, even if doing so means you are
blazing new trails and walking new paths.
After
all, part of being in the wilderness means risking getting lost. Feel free enough and brave enough to do so,
with the knowledge that God will still always find you in the end!
Yours
in Christ,
Pastor
Eric
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