Ash Wednesday

For the past several years, our church has observed Lent. While I did not grow up participating in it, and thought that it was what my Catholic friends did, I have enjoyed observing it as an adult. For me, it has brought about an intentional walking with Jesus to the Cross, leading up to Resurrection Sunday, and it has made that day all the more glorious. It's a tradition, and as such, it is not essential to our faith. But I think there is something to be said about the Church fasting and anticipating the death and resurrection of Christ. As believers, we need to reminded again and again of what Christ did for us "lest we forget." The gospel needs to be preached daily and I think observing Lent is just one more tool to draw us into closer communion with the Father. What do you think?


Below was written by our pastor, Chad Karger, in the weekly church email. I would encourage you to ask yourself the following questions as well. Chad put these on his blog and added a bit more to it, so if you are interested in reading that, go here.


"I realize that not all of us grew up observing the season of Lent and you may have some ambivalence about doing anything related to the fast. Lent is the period of fasting during the forty-some odd days leading up to Good Friday and, ultimately, the celebration of Christ's resurrection. It has been abused, misconstrued, and misunderstood. So if the next forty days are just forty more days for you, so be it. If you are going to participate in the "fast," let me remind you of what Jesus said about fasting: Keep it to yourself (my paraphrase). That is, be cautious about going here and there and telling everyone you meet about your Lenten fast." 

Whatever you decide to do during this time, I'd like to offer the following questions. I have offered these questions to us in the past. They seem to be helpful during this time.

    1. What people, possessions, and/or plans are threatening to upstage God and God’s plans in your life? Another way to ask the same question: What provokes your imagination, your worry, your sleepless nights, or your brain space?

    2. What expectations and results have organized your life so that even God becomes a means toward these ends? Some of these may seem good, noble, or acceptable from a purely human perspective.

    3. What is the tangible fruit of your faith in God? Conversely, what areas of personal sin have you grown accustomed to and are harboring so as to grant the Enemy a foothold in your life?

    4. Are you aware of social issues whether near or far in which the poor, the weak, the helpless, the sick, and/ or dying are being exploited? If you are not aware of such realities, why is that? If you are aware of such injustices in this world, what are doing about it?

    5. Where are you able to simplify your life right now? TV? Buying? Eating out? Toys? Luxurious travel? Cars? Homes? Gadgets? Eating? Drinking? Music? Where could your life become less packed, less noisy, less consuming, less filling, or less luxurious? 




Leave me a comment if you have time. I would love to hear your thoughts on this tradition. 


~cheryl~