Intentionality

Normally, I look forward to seeing you all at worship on Sundays; but today, I’m looking forward to seeing you at worship tomorrow at noon or 7 pm. Lucky me! Tomorrow is one of my favorite church days of the year: it is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I find this service moving and powerful as it compels me to take a good, hard look at my life and my relationships. Tomorrow we will commemorate this service of worship at either noon or 7 pm.

Lent is traditionally a time of fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. Fasting means taking a break from the things in life that maybe don’t encourage us to live our healthiest life as God’s child. Almsgiving means taking an intentional look at our relationship to money and perhaps doing more giving than hoarding. Prayer is, well, prayer. As we start Lent, I want to encourage you to think about the ways you can be more intentional this year. With intentionality, these three areas of focus – fasting, almsgiving, and prayer – can be more than a diet or self-improvement plan.

In the prophet Joel, we hear these words: “Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” As we have been reading in The Story, God continually calls upon God’s people to return because it’s part of our nature to stray. Lent is not a time to dwell on the shame that comes with situations of the past; instead, Lent offers us an invitation, inviting us to use this time in our church year to return to the life-giving gifts God has given you.

I encourage you to spend time in prayer today and tomorrow. Be honest with God and yourself about the areas of your life that are destructive, things that are taking away life and not giving it to you. Many of us struggle with our use of “The Phone;” others have been consumed by hate and anger around a relationship; these might not be particularly true to your life, but all of us have something destructive in our life that we cultivate rather than avoid. What’s yours? What comes to mind when you ask God to show you what that destructive thing is? What might a Lenten discipling look like that addresses that destructive thing?

Throughout this journey, if I can pray with you or talk more about the way you feel stuck in life, please let me know. I always have time for members of the congregation, and I am honored to be involved in those conversations.

All of that is tomorrow and beyond; Today is MARDI GRAS! Laissez les bons temps rouler!

God’s Peace,

Pastor Tim