Growing up as an evangelical Christian, I experienced the season of Lent as nothing more than a joke. “What are you giving up for Lent?” my friends might ask. “Homework,” I’d say with a smirk, or “Obeying my parents.” For many today in our modern world, Lent has become a badge of honor and/or selfish pride proclaiming “Watch me as I give up coffee/sweets/social media/etc.” To me, Lent had felt too archaic for me to even consider. It never even crossed my mind that Lent was something I might actually be interested in, or that I might actually benefit from, decide to keep, and now come to value as a way of getting to know God better.
Lent (the Middle English word for “spring”) is a 6-week season in the Christian year beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter. Christians have come to see Lent as a season to be reminded of their need for repentance and to prepare spiritually for the celebration of Easter. Part of this preparation is the Lenten “fast,” giving up something special during this period. After ignoring Lent for the majority of my life, I’ve paid more attention to it during the last few years. I don’t claim to have had any wildly mystical experiences, but I’ve found that fasting from something has helped me focus on that someone – Jesus. It’s also helped me look ahead to Good Friday and Easter allowing for a better appreciation,deeper meaning of the cross, and the victory of the resurrection. Good Friday and Easter always seem to rush by, especially as a Pastor, before I can give them the attention they deserved. Now I find myself much more ready to rest upon the wholeness of Christ’s sacrifice and to celebrate his victory over sin and death on Easter.
Instead of or in addition to fasting during Lent, add a spiritual exercise or discipline to your life. Consider coming to Bible study on Wednesday nights at 7:00PM. Maybe you want to participate in some act of kindness, such as feeding people at a homeless shelter like Opportunity House in Reading. Call and ask what you can do! Join our Lenten Devotional that begins on March 1st! (Pick up your copy at church and read devotionals written by your friends!) Don’t just cut something out – Add something that you can do every day that leaves a lasting impact through this season. If nothing comes to mind, I’d recommend that you read a chapter of a gospel each day. If you start with Mark, you’ll have time to read all of Mark plus all of one other gospel during Lent.
And so, as we enter the season of Lent, I’m grateful for the saints who have gone before me, some of whom discovered the blessings of giving up something in Lent, while others grew in their faith by adding a Lenten discipline. No matter what you do during this Lenten season, I pray that God will draw us closer to him, and prepare us for a fresh experience of Holy Week. May God’s peace be with You!
Events in March:
- Lenten Devotions – March 1st is the beginning of Lent – a season focused on preparing our hearts for Easter. And that means something very special here at California Church as we have our own unique tradition. Every year members of our church submit devotions for each day of the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday [March 1] to Easter Sunday [April 16th]) and we create a devotional for everyone to experience together. It’s a wonderful time hearing from your church family throughout the week in your devotions and brings us closer together as we anticipate the joy of Easter. You can pick up your copy of the 2017 Lent Devotional here at the church and be sure to start with us TODAY!
- Don’t forget to turn those clocks FORWARD on
March 12th – Daylight Savings! We wouldn’t want you to be late for church that morning and we promise to have all the coffee you need to recuperate from that loss of an hour.
Join us Sunday March 12th for a SPECIAL guest speaker – Crystal Funk (Hearts United With Haiti) www.heartsunitedwithhaiti.org
- NEW SERMON SERIES – Beginning March 19th, we’ll be starting a series of messages that will take us all the way through the Lenten season ending on Easter Sunday entitled: “Giving It Up”. Many of us give up certain things for the 40 days of Lent. Doing so can be a very beneficial thing for us. The problem is normally we give up something simple or irrelevant and then return to it after the 40 days are up (examples such as: Facebook, chocolate, coffee, etc.). Over the next 7 weeks leading up to Easter Sunday, we’re going to take that idea one step further and discuss each week about things that God wants us to give up, not just for 40 days, but forever. What is God calling you to give up?#GivingItUp
Upcoming Events:
- Spring Clean (April 1st) – Just like any house, our church house needs some spring cleaning! Wash windows, rake leaves, pull weeds, clean inside and outside of church and grove…just to name a few items on the list! Come lend a hand for an hour or two or stay till the work is finished on Saturday April 1st starting bright and early at 8:00AM! Connect with friends, have some fun, chase away winter cobwebs, and help make our church home sparkle! (If you happen to have outdoor equipment of your own [rake, garden tools, gloves, tarp, etc.] please bring them with you!)
- Egg Hunt (April 8th) -Be sure to mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information coming very soon!
- Holy Week:
- Palm Sunday – Join us for a celebration of Christ’s triumphal entry as a kick-starter to Holy Week. A fun, exuberant time of worship while also setting the stage for a powerful week of remembering God’s redemptive plan!
- Maundy Thursday (7:00PM) – Worship through coming to the table of God. Be sure to be a part of our special time of Communion remembering the Last Supper and its impact on our daily lives. Christ’s body was broken for you – Do this in Remembrance of Him.
- Good Friday (7:00PM) – We gather on this somber evening as we remember Christ’s death. Many find Good Friday to be one of the best services you can attend all year and we encourage you and your family to be a part of our Good Friday service.
- Easter Sunday – The long awaited morning of jubilation – Resurrection Sunday brings together family and friends for a morning of pure joy celebrating Christ’s resurrection, conquering of sin, and our salvation in Him! You don’t want to miss this special morning! Join us at 10:15AM for a worship service that’ll fill your heart with praise!
- Soup and Salad Fundraiser (April 30th) – Following our service will be a Soup and Salad lunch (provided by His Ladies and other members of our congregation). Stay afterwards for a time of fellowship and connecting with friends!
Don’t forget to stay in touch here on our website as well as at our church! Feel free to comment AND SHARE with your friends on social media and we look forward to seeing you at California EC Church this month!
Don’t want to miss out on new posts? Be sure to check back for more Monthly Snapshots (always on the 1st of the month), “The Gospel According to…” reviews, and lots of other great things here on our church blog!
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