So this weekend is the first Sunday of Lent, the season leading up to Easter when Christians have for centuries turned their attention to the cross. During these weeks we take time to focus on this central event in our faith – the crucifixion of Jesus – and to prepare our hearts for Easter. And as we do so we invite God to further shape and deepen us in our walk with him.

We will be observing Lent in two ways this year. The first is in our daily devotions. We didn’t end up using it at the time, but a couple of years ago my friend Dave Beck and I wrote a devotional guide for Lent. Each day has a Scripture reading and some questions to lead you in prayer and reflection (and some guidelines for fasting if you choose to practice this discipline). Set aside ten or fifteen minutes in the morning with a cup of coffee, during your commute, on a break, or before bed, and spend some time praying and reading the Scriptures. If you would like to participate in this practice, email me and I’ll send you back a copy of the devotional.

The second is the teaching series we are doing on Sundays. We’re calling it Uncommon Graces, and each week we will explore one of the less common aspects of God’s grace. The idea behind both the devotions and the teachings is that we will consciously embrace God’s grace not just as a past event, but as a present reality that God invites us to live in daily.

And a final note on our fasting - many of us at Life practice fasting during Lent, whether that’s fasting from all food one day a week, or fasting from a specific item (ie dessert, TV, facebook, etc) during the whole Lenten season. The idea behind this is that our hunger pangs and/or unfulfilled cravings become reminders for us of what Christ has done, and reminders to pray. May I suggest that as you pray, pray for those in your life who are far from God and do not yet know the love and grace of the cross of Christ. And as we celebrate Easter this year may it be marked by the joy of seeing our loved ones move nearer to him.

Lord bless you my friends, and we’ll look forward to being with you this weekend –

Tim
Mt 6:33