An Invitation to Lent

Today we begin a spiritual journey that will span forty days, from Ash Wednesday until Holy Saturday before Easter Sunday. In the early days of the Church, the season of Lent was a time of preparation for new  converts as they readied their hearts  to enter into Christian Baptism on Easter Sunday. Since these new  members were to be received into a living community of     Faith, the entire community was called to preparation. Also, this was the time when those who had been separated from the Church because of explicit sin would prepare to rejoin the community of faith. The season of Lent  is a time of prayer, fasting, self~examination, and penitence for all Christians as we prepare to celebrate Easter. Through this forty day journey, we are reminded that we are totally unworthy before God, that we have nothing with which we can obtain salvation, and that our best efforts at being righteous fall far short. This season reminds us how much we need grace in our lives in order to live a transformed life that reflects God's love. We are called to renew our commitments and our faith as we continually acknowledge our need of Gods transforming presence with us. I invite you into the observance of a Holy Lent, by self—-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self—denial;  and  by  reading  and  meditating  on  God's  holy  Word.  To  make  a  right  beginning  of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now invite God to examine our hearts as we wait silently before Him. As we personally choose Our Lent “practices”, let us keep in mind that they are the things that are going to help us focus on and strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior . If all we do is to add a simple prayer each day ~ the prayer that I suggest is:

Today, Lord I want to take your hand, lead me where you want me to go.
Show me all the events that you have planned to reveal your love.
I don't know what today holds or where you will lead me, but I know
That together we can handle anything and today I want to walk with you.
Thank you Jesus for holding my hand today. Amen.