On Wednesday, Feb. 13th, we begin a whole new spiritual season: Lent. For those of you who are new to Lent and what it’s all about (or those who just need a quick review), here’s a brief, simplified version:
Lent is a 40 day period leading up to Easter Sunday. The 40 days begin on Ash Wednesday and excludes all Sundays (because Sundays are for celebrating the Risen Christ!). In the ancient church, this period was an intense time of spiritual preparation for those getting baptized on Easter. They fasted and prayed, and they read and studied scriptures. It was also a time in which those who had been cut off (or out) of the Christian community undertook acts of repentance and prepared to re-enter the community. Eventually, rather than having only certain people take part in the 40 days, the whole church was encouraged to do so. And so here we are! As you might have noticed, the 40 days is also significant for the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism, as well as the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert before entering the Promised Land. To sum it all up, Lent is a season in which we open our hearts and seek – intentionally and through discipline - to return and re-align ourselves with God and God’s Way. We commit to self-examination and repentance, and to those practices – new or old – that support us in finding our way back to God.
At CCUMC, in addition to the individual spiritual commitments you undertake, we also focus on a particular spiritual practice together. In past years, we have explored and practiced prayer, forgiveness, and community. This year, our communal focus will be on discernment.
Now you might be wondering, “I hear that word a lot….but what does it mean?!” Great question! That is exactly what we’ll be delving into together over the next 6 weeks. One writer, Diana Butler Bass, puts it like this, “Christians believe that human beings have the capacity to hear, see, touch, and feel God – a genuine sensing of truth and beauty through which we know God and know God’s will. Christians call this discernment.” (Christianity for the Rest of Us, p. 91). In other words, discernment is the practice by which we lift our deepest questions – Who am I? Who are we? How are we supposed to live? What does God want me, want us to do with our lives? What is true? – and listen for the movement and invitation of God. Bass goes on to write, “Discernment serves as a kind of spiritual compass, helping us negotiate the unfamiliar territory of our truest selves as we seek to find meaning in God’s call.” I find that image helpful: to think of discernment as a compass, always pointing out true north.
There are all sorts of ways to grab hold of this practice and go deeper. I invite your full participation:
- Through Worship – we will shape our worship around the way of discernment and invite time for reflection and prayer.
- Through Sundays of Uniting Prayer (SOUP) – following worship each Sunday, we will gather quietly in the Annex to share a hot bowl of homemade soup, listen to some provoking thoughts about discernment, and then gather in small groups to reflect, share, and pray.
- Through Adult Sunday School – I will be teaching a 5 week class on discernment that begins on Mar. 3rd.
- Through Small Groups – Small groups are wonderful places for discernment as you gather around the Word to listen to how the Holy Spirit invites you to respond. CCUMC has 3 groups meeting. Please connect with me if you are interested in participating.
In anticipation for what the Holy Spirit will do, Pastor Emily