Monday, March 17, 2014

My Hope For You This Lenten Season

When Lent begins I am generally asked by my more "traditional" Baptist friends, "Why would you dare celebrate that "Catholic" thing called Lent?" I will leave it to my Catholic friends (of which I have many) to defend their own ideas about this sacred and ancient time of year. I am quite certain each group of Christians have their own nuance to add to the season. As a Baptist I believe Lent is a wonderful opportunity for renewal and revival; a time to consider God's grace, love and mercy. Lent is a time to pray, fast and seek the face of God while looking forward to the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord at Easter!

I hope you will take the time to celebrate Lent with me this year. I hope you will fast from food at least one day a week and use the time you would have eaten to instead pray and meditate upon God's Word. I hope you will be more intentional about your prayer life and time in God's Word. I hope you will diligently seek God and believe He will reward you for so doing (Hebrews 11:6)!

As protestants, and Baptists in particular, we have "40 Days of Purpose" along with a myriad of other special "seasons" of church life. Who of us hasn't been, or should I say endured, an "Arise and Build" type capital campaign? While each of these "seasons" has a raison d'ĂȘtre how can we begrudge ourselves the opportunity for an even greater blessing during Lent? Don't miss out on your chance for a fresh start through spiritual renewal during this Lenten Season of 2014!

Pastor James

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