Ash Wednesday Service

Wednesday, March 1st, marks the beginning of Lent. We will hold a worship service at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary including the imposition of ashes. First popularized in the fourth century, Lent is traditionally associated with penitence, fasting, alms-giving m and prayer. It is a time for “giving things up” balanced by “giving to” those in need. Yet, whatever else it may be, Lent should never become morose – an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly forgo a handful of pleasures. Instead, we ought to approach Lent as an opportunity, not a requirement. After all, it is meant to be the church’s springtime, a time when, out of the darkness of sin’s winter, a repentant, empowered people emerges.

Lent (literally “springtime” in Latin) is a time of preparation, a time to return to the dessert where Jesus spent forty days readying for his ministry. He allowed himself to be tested, and if we are serious about following him, we will do the same.

Put another way, Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. It is an opportunity to follow our heart’s deepest longing stripped of the distractions that keep us from pursuing our truest purpose. It is a time to take a good look in the mirror and allow God to work on whatever is keeping us from being true. It is not a matter of proving our goodness or earning God’s approval. Rather we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and honest enough to be surprised by God’s grace.

Some people use this season to engage in a practice getting rid of “stuff” – forty bags in forty days. Others give up a regular habit in order to use that time for meditation. Prayer and thoughtful reflection. However you observe this season of Lent, may it be a “springtime” of awakening and making space for new life. Dare I say, that we each find a way to “Make a Space for Grace” in our individual lives as well as here at Old Bergen Church.