Lent is coming! Lent is coming!
Forgive my Paul Revere moment about the season of Lent. It’s just that I’ve never heard anyone get that excited about Lent, and I understand why. For many, Lent is a season in which we give up something we enjoy (like chocolate or social media) so that we can deny ourselves and follow Jesus more closely. Well, I will never get excited about giving up chocolate! Giving up things tends to make me grumpy, and no one likes a grumpy pastor.
In recent years, I’ve found it more effective to take on something new for the season of Lent, rather than giving up something. It might be a new spiritual practice like reading your Bible for 15 minutes every day or praying daily for something or someone. It might be a prayer walk or following a particular devotional guide. Whatever it is, committing ourselves to something that enriches our spiritual life is a great Lenten practice and readies us for Holy Week and the celebration of Easter. There is no resurrection without the cross, and Lent prepares us to walk with Jesus to the cross.
Our Lenten Bible study will offer you a fantastic way to observe Lent and prepare for the grand celebration of the Easter season. This year, we’re studying Rev. Adam Hamilton’s The Walk: Five Essential Practices of the Christian Life. We’ll discuss what it means to be a disciple and take a deeper dive into key spiritual practices. Rev. Tim Galloway will lead this study at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights beginning Feb. 21 and going through March 27. You can buy the book at major online retailers. Please sign up for the study by calling the church office at (707) 291-8590 or by emailing church office@romefirst.org.
The study is a companion to our Lenten sermon series, which also will delve into these spiritual practices. Additionally, we’ll offer you ways to actually do these spiritual practices so that we go beyond just talking about them. I’m really looking forward to this series and especially to exploring the spiritual discipline of service.
We’ll put this discipline into practice on Sunday, March 10, when we pack about 11,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger. RAH sends dehydrated meals to food-insecure places all over the world. You’ll hear more about this event in days to come, but please put this event on your calendar. It will begin at 4 p.m. in the Wilder Center. We’ll also be joined by some other United Methodist congregations in Floyd County. This is a great multigenerational event, as there are ways for everyone to participate.
Hearing all of this, I’m getting pretty excited about Lent! What about you?