Are you ready for Lent?

One of my favorite seasons of the year is Arby’s fish sandwich season. It usually starts right before Lent and continues through spring. I first discovered these sandwiches one year when I had decided to fast from meat for Lent. Hank Jenkins and I ate them almost daily as we worked side by side in the youth department at Faith.

Right after Hurricane Katrina, I took a group of youth to do hurricane recovery for our mission work with Sr High students. I remember going into restaurants and they would hand us a special menu that did not include any meat. Jon and I were shocked because we couldn’t believe that the Catholic church had such an influence on the community. I later discovered that the state is still divided into Parishes instead of Counties. It was quite a cultural difference than growing up in Oklahoma.

Fasting is considered a spiritual discipline that helps us focus on God instead of our stomachs. All the time we save not worrying about food is to be spent in prayer and reflection. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, fasted frequently and supported the practice. Some people simply can not do it because it is dangerous physically. The longest that I have ever fasted is 30 hours. I used to do it annually with my youth group. Over the years, I have fasted from things that I love like dessert and Dr. Pepper or bacon. Other years, I have tried to add a new discipline to my daily spiritual practices but I have never been really successful at those. Some years, I have journaled devotions to the entire congregation for 40 days.

But what we do isn’t really the point. Everything we do during Lent is supposed to motivate us to reflect on the spiritual dimension of our lives. We are reorienting ourselves during Lent and trying to emulate Christ who resisted temptation in the wilderness for 40 days. This season lasst for the 40 days before Easter but doesn’t count Sundays. Every Sunday is considered a “little Easter.” We will begin this season on Wednesday Feb. 22nd at 7 pm for our Ash Wednesday Service. Nursery will be provided and I hope you will join us.

Now I have to think of what I plan to do this year! Last time someone asked me to set a goal for self-care, I decided to make sure that I eat lunch every day. Deciding on how to focus on God, is a little harder. Are you ready for this season of reflection and renewal?

Grace,