To all the Saints of St.
Paul's,
Grace to you, and peace.
The liturgical calendar of the church
shapes us, often in ways we do not recognize. The season of Advent leaves many
straining against the reins to sing Christmas carols heard a month before in
stores and on television. After Epiphany, life seems full of seemingly mundane
events, Sunday after Sunday. It is a reminder to the faithful of everyday lives
that are to be lived mindful of the presence of God. The time of the church
helps to give all our time shape and new meaning. Peter Bower, a liturgical
scholar, writes
The liturgical calendar offers a series
of celebrations that confront us with who we are in Christ and present us with
a pattern for growth in Christ. The liturgical calendar permeates us with the
mystery of Christ’s redeeming work so we may conform our lives to Christ.
Lent
is no exception, and its particular emphasis on following Jesus to the cross
gives it a unique place in the church’s life, and that of the individual
believer. The forty days after Ash Wednesday have historically been a time of
training in the church, particularly for those who are considering becoming a
part of it and those seeking renewal within it. And for those whose
relationship with Christ and his church has waned, the Lenten season offers a
period of preparation for return.
Above
all, Lent provides an opportunity to learn what it means to follow Christ. This
makes the season an especially fruitful time for exploring spiritual
disciplines, not simply as an intellectual exercise for seven weeks, but a
chance to experience what can become practices for a lifetime. It is not just a
chance to put something down—chocolate, soft drinks, or alcohol—but to take
something up in the spirit of Jesus who took up his cross.
The
stories of Lent help us to understand what is perhaps the most simple and most
important lesson of the spiritual life: pay attention — to God, yourself, and
the world around you, near and far. In taking time to be grateful for the food
we have, we can pray for those who don’t. We can read the newspaper not only
for information but inspiration, which comes from the Latin “to breath.” We
breathe in the Spirit as to what is happening, and breathe out our prayers and
our actions to make a difference in the lives of those known and unknown to us.
To read the Bible not in haste or out of duty, but as a way to more fully
understand this Christ so that we might more faithfully follow him.
May God bless you in this season of Lent.
With its reminders of temptations and failure, and the promise of forgiveness
and new life, may you might find that you are more and more conformed to
Christ, and by his grace, transformed into the very likeness of him.
God is all in all,
Pastor Steve
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