On Lent and a Prayer
We are in the
season of Lent, a time of Lengthening days as we move from spring to summer. Even when the air is cold, the sun begins to
warm our cars and a chair near a window seems warmer, rather than drafty. Yet, in “church world”, we fill up these
longer days with more stuff. Lenten
disciplines of fasting and prayer, of meditation and group life, are not about
skipping lunch to work longer hours, but about intentionally making room for
the presence of Jesus in our lives. Take
a walk and unwind your random thoughts to God in prayer. Connect in a deeper way with people around
you: Instead of hurried electronic communication, try a hand-written note, or
volunteer to serve through a community organization. Prepare a meal leisurely, and eat without
reacting to alerts on your phone. (I
spent a couple hours trying to make a traditional Thai curry paste with my new
mortar and pestle.) It is in the simple
things of life that our souls are enriched.
season of Lent, a time of Lengthening days as we move from spring to summer. Even when the air is cold, the sun begins to
warm our cars and a chair near a window seems warmer, rather than drafty. Yet, in “church world”, we fill up these
longer days with more stuff. Lenten
disciplines of fasting and prayer, of meditation and group life, are not about
skipping lunch to work longer hours, but about intentionally making room for
the presence of Jesus in our lives. Take
a walk and unwind your random thoughts to God in prayer. Connect in a deeper way with people around
you: Instead of hurried electronic communication, try a hand-written note, or
volunteer to serve through a community organization. Prepare a meal leisurely, and eat without
reacting to alerts on your phone. (I
spent a couple hours trying to make a traditional Thai curry paste with my new
mortar and pestle.) It is in the simple
things of life that our souls are enriched.
In this
season, as we walk the way of the cross toward Easter, I join in Paul’s prayer
(Ephesians 1.17-19):
season, as we walk the way of the cross toward Easter, I join in Paul’s prayer
(Ephesians 1.17-19):
I
pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a
spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your
heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable
greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his
great power.
pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a
spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your
heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you,
what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable
greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his
great power.
Together on
the journey!
the journey!
Pastor JP