Holding Up the Mirror

The season of Lent comes early this year with Ash Wednesday falling on Valentine's Day.  This particular observance focuses on our own mortality and the spirituality that transcends our physical bodies.  Many people give up some kind of edibles - usually sweets or sodas or something bad for you.  This kind of discipline is a fast from particular foods which should help people focus on things that are more permanent.

Of course, the Lenten season leads up to Easter.  It is comprised of the forty days (not including the six Sundays) prior.  During this time, Christians seek to use things like fasts or extra prayer times or scripture readings to grow closer to God.  Our church will have three different studies available on Wednesday nights during Lent.  We will also have special morning devotions available at 6:30 during Holy Week (the week before Easter) as well as Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services that week.

The variety of spiritual disciplines allows a person to hold up a mirror to one's life.  Introspection is helpful in the walk with Christ.  Our hope is that the church will provide enough options that each person will find something redeeming in one of them.

Once again, I will be writing daily devotionals based on scripture.  This year, we will be exploring the entire book of Genesis.  The stories contained within the first book of the Bible run the gamut of human experience.  They are especially helpful as we see ourselves in the lives of these early Biblical characters.  This in turn helps us to understand how God continues to work with us in our lives.  A reference to daily scriptures as well as some brief commentary will be available on this blog each day starting February 14th.  If you are searching for a Lenten discipline, I would invite you to journey in Genesis with me.

Finally, our church is once more going to be collecting food for Skyline Urban Ministry in a contest with our sister church, New Covenant United Methodist Church during Lent.  If you decide not to bring canned goods, you may always donate money toward the cause.  Skyline can purchase groceries cheaper than we can.  Money that we have collected together as churches in the past two years has been used to purchase a truck and a walk-in freezer.  Your sacrificial giving has helped people to have food where otherwise they may have gone hungry.  This year, the money we raise will hopefully go toward a community garden in the adjacent lot to Skyline.  This will provide fresh produce to people who might otherwise not have it available.

Before Lent begins, there will be a final time of worship with Transfiguration Sunday.  We will finalize the series on God's call in our life as we look at how we are called to continue the work of others.  We will be examining 2 Kings 2:1-12.  I hope you'll join us if you're in the Edmond area!

In Christ,

Sam

Photo by tschundler via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.