Welcome to the season of Lent. Honestly, does it mean anything different in your daily life? I would guess the answer is “no” for most of us. In the church year, the season of Lent was often about sacrifice, spiritual discipline, and reflecting on your relationship with God. To be clear, I am still in favor of all these things. However, I am also a realist. The world we live in today is full of distraction. Finding moments to quiet the voices clamoring for our attention is a constant struggle.

I am a big believer in seeking out moments for reflection. Whether it is a walk, a quiet moment in the sanctuary, lingering over a cup of coffee, or soaking up a little sunshine standing at a window for a moment – how we find those moments is often about our intention to do so. I love to be in the midst of people. The more, the better. Yet, I know there are needed moments in my own life when I am out of balance and in need of some quiet time to even out. The same is true in our relationship with God.

Finding moments to center; to reconnect; to reconsider; to be reminded of our relationship with God can provide us with the opportunity to move ourselves into a deeper, more intimate experience of the presence of God. This is what the season of Lent offers to us.

In Lent, we are invited to step out of our normal routines and step into different routines.

• Maybe look for a new devotional to use for reading and reflection through the days of Lent. 
• Consider adding Sunday worship to your weekly routine through the entire five weeks of the season of Lent.
• Who are people who have inspired your life of faith? Commit to reaching out to thank them by phone or text message or, even, hand-written note during the season of Lent.

You can also consider joining us for Wednesday night soup suppers and midweek worship beginning with our first night soup supper on March 1, with soup at 6pm and worship from 6:45-7:15pm. Our Lenten soup suppers and midweek worship last year saw some of the strongest attendance we have ever seen in the last 12 years. Can you tell I am excited to return to soups suppers and midweek worship? 

Dear friends, Lent is upon us. Find your center. Reconnect with God and people you love. Reconsider how you are spending your time. Be reminded that you are loved by God. All good things in these days of Lent.

See you in church.

Pastor Chris