Lent – A Time to Return

Rend your hearts and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.  Joel 2:13

Wednesday, March 5th, we begin the season of Lent.  Historically, Lent is the 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays) in which we focus on repentance and the call to return to the Lord our God.
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How are we to do this?  First of all, it isn’t a physical act.  It’s not going through the motions to show our repentance.  It’s not about getting ashes on your forehead or giving up something important to you.  It’s about the spiritual aspects.

It’s the reminder as we receive the ashes on our forehead that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, but through the cross of Christ we have hope over death.  It’s that reminder when we desire that cup of coffee that we’ve given up turning instead to the reminder of the MUCH greater things our Savior gave up as he went to the cross for each of us.

It’s about examining our own lives; what we say, think, and do.  To repent to the Lord those ways we are not in line with what our God tells us, and to change to say, think, and do what he wants us to do.  

How are we able to do this?  Not by our work alone, but by the power of the Spirit working through God’s Word.  And during this Lent, as in the past, we are offering multiple opportunities throughout the week to hear God’s Word, to reflect on it, to allow His Spirit to work in our lives.

Our extra services on Wednesday are excellent opportunities to be guided to the cross where we live in the forgiveness we find in Christ.  I invite you to join us each Wednesday either in the afternoon at 2pm or evening at 7:15 (except on March 5 where it will start at 7pm).  

Rend your heart not your garments, repent of your sins, and return to your Lord, today and always.  

In His Peace,

​Pastor Cory Burma 

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