Lent: A time to reflect

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday which means that the season of Lent has officially started. Lent is a time of reflection.

I think about the words the prophet Joel proclaimed, “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. (Joel 2:12-13 NRSV)

This season is forty days of examining our hearts. It is a chance to take stock of how we are living as disciples of Jesus Christ. We can choose to give something up as way to focus on God. Maybe we turn on off the TV and open our Bibles. Maybe we choose to take something on and commit to forty acts of kindness, one for each day.

Here at First Presbyterian Church, we are focusing on growing in our faith and walking with Jesus as he makes his way to the cross. We have a Lenten Bible Study that meets on Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. in our fellowship hall. Come join us as we examine the Lord’s Prayer and how we can apply to everyday life.

Our Lenten sermon series “Bootcamp for the Soul” begins on Sunday February 26. Everyone is invited to worship with us at 10 a.m. as we explore what transformation looks like in our lives. As we prepare our hearts and minds for the next forty days, may we seek to be gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Photo: Rev. Amanda Boss  First Presbyterian Church  Kasson