Welcome to Lent!

From Pastor Chuck:

We enter a new church season today. Lent can seem somber; it is, after all, a time when we focus on our need for repentance. We sink into the serious side of faith, often in solitude, and we become more mindful of how much we need a savior.

And yet, there is joy! We already know there is a savior---Jesus Christ! To experience a successful Lent, we have to suppress the giddy truth within us that holiness and eternal life are ours for the taking. Jesus did all the work on the cross, and we simply receive grace.

It strikes me that Lent really is for believers. Without that understanding that Jesus Christ is Lord, nonbelievers will perceive the season as a time of rules and restrictions. A person who does not know Jesus Christ is not ready for discipleship, and Lent definitely is about discipleship.

Let's never forget that Christian disciples are people who draw close to the One who loves them perfectly, and they in turn grow in love for Him, and ultimately, for others. A disciple's goal is simple: to love as Jesus loves.

We begin that annual focus tonight with Ash Wednesday, participating in a ritual that reminds us of our mortality and our need for Jesus. That service will be at 6 p.m. in our sanctuary.

I also want to encourage us all to deepen our prayer lives during this season so that we are ready to encounter the risen Christ once again Easter Sunday, which this year falls on April 5.

By the way, I recently found a new prayer guide I like very much. What's interesting is that it works on your phone as an app, guiding the user through prayers morning, midday and evening. If you want to try it with me, search for Lectio 365 in your phone's app store.

Also, you all are invited to our regular Wednesday night prayer group, which meets each week at 6 p.m. in the Darnell Ministry Center prayer room, directly accessible from the parking lot. Obviously, we will all be in the Ash Wednesday service tonight, but know that you can make Wednesday night group prayer a regular event in your life.

Blessings on all of you this season!