Journey to the Cross - Lent

As we continue our journey through lent I think that it is a really good time to look at our journey to the cross. How are we drawing closer to Jesus Christ as we job serve our Lenten practices? Jesus wants us to grow closer to him and to one another. If our Lenten practices don’t have this as the ultimate end of them, then they are not accom-plishing what they need too.

Jesus calls us to come after him, to come to him and deny ourselves. Furthermore he challenges us with the idea that if we “wish to save life we will lose it” because in our journey—He is teaching us to trust what God has promised and trust that God will take care of our needs and wants. To see that God is active in our story (our daily lives).
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During lent we focus on turning our hearts and minds back to Christ. How we do that is totally up to us but we need to pray about it and see what God is inviting us to do to focus our lives on him and his calling to each of us. There are three pillar practices of  Lent—prayer fasting and almsgiving. Prayer is not something that we  are asking you to give up. It is the practice that we ask you to add just 5-10 minutes a day. Be intentional about it and you will find that God will show up more in your story. Fasting is giving something up. Traditionally it is some type of food but it does not have to be. It is giving up some type of luxury as a form of penitence. It is making ourselves a little uncomfortable to see how much God is doing in our lives. Changing our routines to see more of God. Almsgiving is the practice of giving more of what God has blessed us with to help those who are less fortunate that we are.
 
May The Lord Bless and Keep You,
Rev. Stephen W. Barch