Winter is coming. I know, I know, the physical season of winter is technically here, although it seems we’ve had as many days above 50 degrees since December 21 (the technical start of winter) as we’ve had below 30 degrees. But I’m talking about a more metaphorical winter; the one we’ll begin on Ash Wednesday as we enter the season of Lent and explore the path Jesus’ ministry took that led to his death and resurrection.
What do you think of when you picture Lent? Over the centuries, several traditions developed among Christian denominations might make us get a particular image in our mind. Maybe fasting, or giving up a particular vice. Not eating meat on Fridays, an ashen cross on our foreheads, purple and black decorations around the church. The idea is that each of these actions might help us - what? Share in some aspect of the pain that Jesus felt during his last days? Remind us of our sin and why Jesus came to help us? I think the traditions we associate with Lent started with good intentions, but without some extra community guidance, the opportunity to wrestle with the deeper meaning of Lent is lost.
During this Season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday, February 22, we will begin a series in which we dive into some of the difficult questions Christians have faced since Biblical times. From our resource material:
Like the characters in our Lenten scriptures, we are also seeking many things: clarity, connection, wonder, justice, balance. We are seeking our calling, the sacred, and how to live as a disciple. Throughout the turbulence of the past few years, many of us are asking big questions about our lives and our faith. If you are returning to church, you are probably returning with more questions and a critical lens. We hope this series will help us unpack some of those big questions in ways that are honest and faithful. Throughout this season, we hope you will continually ask yourself: what am I seeking? What is God seeking?
We will explore these questions in different ways each Sunday and Wednesday (see below for a schedule.) By coming together as a community to work through these questions together, we not only dig into a deeper meaning to Lent, but we also remind ourselves that Jesus never meant for us to walk the path of Lent or any other journey alone. We live and celebrate together so we can wrestle with the big and difficult questions and then share the Easter message with the world.
Yours in Christ,
John Johns