Our season of Lent begins this coming Wednesday, February 18th.

But what does that mean?

The season of Lent is a time that we have set aside as a season of preparation.  It is a time to remember and to reflect.  We will soon celebrate Jesus’ resurrection at Easter but also, like any of life’s significant endeavors, to do something well, we must take the time to prepare. 

Lately, I’ve been reading some adventure fantasy fiction with swords and dragons and things like that. But despite the many differences between the stories, one of the common threads that crop up somewhere is about preparation. The good adventurers, the ones that are more likely to survive their encounters with monsters, are the ones that spend the time preparing themselves and their equipment. They spend their time away from the adventure sharpening swords, refilling magic potions, packing bandages, and other “boring” things that might not be needed, but will save their lives if they are.

Although Easter may not seem to be quite so “life and death,” our preparation is still of significant importance. Easter is the biggest event of the church year and is a bookend to the Christmas story.  For that reason, both emotionally and spiritually, we don’t want to show up unprepared.  We don’t want to show up on Easter morning and hope that our equipment and whatever preparations are leftover from the last time are going to be good enough.  Instead, let us commit to a season or preparation so that we will arrive on Easter morning properly prepared, with our hearts renewed, our souls properly exercised, and fully open to the joy, wonder, excitement, and the calling of God.

Join us so that our team can prepare together during this season of anticipation.

Blessings,

Pastor John

Christ United Methodist Church