Pineridge Blog

Lent, the season in the church year of 40 days (plus Sundays), began yesterday and continues to Easter.  It mirrors the time of Jesus fasting, praying and figuring out what it meant to be Jesus in the 40 days he spent in the wilderness before he began his ministry.  May you know God's grace, mercy and strength as you continue to figure out what it is to be you in the coming Lenten days.  I offer this from our Ash Wednesday service last night:

INVITATION TO THE OBSERVANCE OF THE LENTEN DISCIPLINE

Friends in Christ,
every year at the time of the Christian Passover
we celebrate our redemption
through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration
and to renew our life in the paschal mystery.
We begin this holy season
by acknowledging our need for repentance,
and for the mercy and forgiveness
proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.
This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
and marks the penitence of this community.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ,
to observe a holy Lent
by self-examination and penitence,
by prayer and fasting,
by works of love,
and by reading and meditating on the Word of God.

(Book of Common Worship, pg 223)

Peace+,

Jim