Practicing Lent Together

My absolute favorite season of the year is upon us, the season of Lent.  I admit it’s a bit of an odd season to love.  It has none of the great anticipation of Advent, none of the tinsel, lights, or carols of Christmas, none of the bright stars or enigmatic wise men of Epiphany, and definitely none of the wooshing tongues of fire from Pentecost.  Rather, it begins with reminders of our mortality – “ashes to ashes and dust to dust.”  It calls us into the wilderness (for 40 days and 40 nights no less), invites self-reflection (something most of us don’t like to do), and asks of us a level of rigor in our spiritual practice that’s no easy feat.  That said, it’s precisely all of these things (and so much more) that I love.  It’s all of these things (and so much more) that help me notice where I’ve gotten off track of late, where there might be some hardness developing in my heart or murkiness in my sight, or just how thirsty and hungry I am for God’s goodness and grace in my life.   It’s all of these things (and so much more) that pull me back – firmly – into God’s overwhelming presence.  What’s not to love?
As you might know, Lent was a serious, intense time in the early church.  This was the time that new converts prepared for their baptism on Easter through intentional study, prayer and fasting.  The rest of the community joined in as a way to support the newbies but also to recall and remember their own baptisms.  Today, Lent is marked by the call to self-examination, to reflect on the ways we have turned away from God and others, and by intentional commitments and practices that lead us back.  Most traditionally, these practices are in the areas of prayer, fasting and alms-giving. This year at CCUMC, we’ll be “practicing Lent” in a number of different ways.  I hope that you will prayerfully consider each as life-giving invitations:

• We’ll begin this journey together on Ash Wednesday – Mar. 9th – with a simple, contemplative service at 7:15 p.m.  This year, we’ll be joined by brothers and sisters from Lake Merritt UMC and Lake Part UMC.  This will be a meaningful time to rest in God’s presence and listen for the commitments that will carry you through this season.
• Our worship order each Sunday will be a little bit different than usual.  Our songs will be simple chorus’ and chants that invite a spirit of meditation.  We’ll mark time together by extinguishing candles, knowing that this journey towards Easter takes us through Good Friday.
• Our hospitality time will center around tea and coffee only.
• Worship will be followed by SOUP II – a time for us to share a hot bowl of homemade soup while listening to a reading about forgiveness, a topic that I pray will be timely and meaningful for all of us.  (More on the forgiveness theme next week).  After lunch, we will gather in small groups for a short time of prayer.
• And a new season will begin for the weekly small groups.

I urge each of you to consider participating in all the ways you can – to come to the special services, to be a part of SOUP II and to “try on” the new worship order.  If you have questions or would like to know more, please connect with me.  I’ll be happy to answer questions or encourage you to become  a Lent-lover too!  May you find the season of Lent to be as transformative and grace-filled as I have come to know it.

Peace, Pastor Emily