Pastor's Corner

I mentioned in my meditation in the Ash Wednesday service that Lent is my favorite time in the church year. That's not because it's a joyous time. Quite the opposite. It's the reflective, penitential time I treasure. During this season, the liturgical color, what you see on the altar and on the pulpit, is purple. But, it's not the same purple seen during Advent. Traditionally, the purple used during Lent is a very rough and coarse fabric. The purple used in Advent is the polar opposite. It's represents royalty, and the fabric is almost silk like.

Both seasons, Lent and Advent, can be times of reflection, and both lead to very joyous times - Easter following Lent, and Christmas following Advent. But there the similarity ends. In the "Invitation to the Observance of Lenten Discipline," says, "It became the custom of the church to prepare for Easter by a season of penitence, fasting, and prayer." Further, those traveling the Lenten journey are invited to "observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; and by reading and meditating on the Word of
God."

It's been said many times before that Lent is less about "giving up" something, and more
about "taking on" something else. And what might that be? Well, for starters, it means that Lent is an opportunity to renew the covenant each of us has with God. You see, that's where our focus should be. We can do that through reading and meditating upon scripture. Each week they are printed in the bulletin. Take that home and meditate upon them during the week.

Second, we are called to prayer not just during this season, but in each day of our life. As Brother Lawrence once said, we "practice the presence of God." Through prayer, we become more open to God's word for us, and what God may be calling us to do. Lent provides the time when prayer can become an intentional, daily habit. Each Sunday in the
Steeple News is a list of the concerns of the church. Post this somewhere in your house, in a conspicuous place where you'll see it more than once a day. That can remind you to take a moment or two to pray.

Third, find what a friend calls a "go-to" spot. Mine is in the den. I keep my devotional
material (I use The Upper Room Disciplines and Stand Firm, a magazine directed to men), a Bible, my journal, as well as other reading I'm doing. It's a quiet place. Try to carve out some time - 30 minutes to an hour - each day to "be still and know that I am God" (Ps.46:10). Beginning my day in this manner helps me to center and focus. And my prayer time not only allows me to lift my petitions, but helps me to become ever more open to what God is saying to me.

There are many spiritual disciplines that enable us to grow both in our faith and in our relationship with God as revealed in Christ. Find several and begin "practicing the presence of God" in your life. As we journey through Lent, may we each become ever more of God's presence. See you on this most exciting, and rewarding, journey.

Grace and peace,

Mike

March 12, 2017