Experience a Holy Lent

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Once again it is time to re-calibrate our spiritual lives. Lent beckons. We now prepare to walk with Our Lord the road that leads to Jerusalem and the cross.

The Book of Common Prayer exhorts us to experience a holy Lent through “self examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”

This exhortations presumes a deeper faith commitment than simply giving up chocolate or wine. It asks us to dig deeper than the superficial, to take seriously this time of reflection and repentance. It asks us to be uncomfortable, to sacrifice some of our time normally spent on reading novels, cooking fancy foods, or hitting the links and instead to spend more time with the One who gave His life that we might live as His children.

It is a very counter-cultural thing to do, to withdraw a little from our busy lives and just be still enough to listen to what God is saying to us. We are conditioned to be constantly on the move, to be immersed in the frantic pace of the world. It takes deliberate attention on our part to step back from that for a while.

My prayer for us all during this season of Lent is that we find ways to draw closer to our Lord, and in doing so, find that peace which passes all understanding.

In His Love,
Lorna+