Throughout the Bible, God calls his people to times of remembrance, celebration, and even lament. In the Old Testament there were rich times of physically remembering God's goodness, grace, and miraculous provision. Passover, for example, is a time to remember how God set his people free from their oppressors. It involves food, prayer, conversation, and more - all for the purpose of allowing our physical bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls to engage in remembrance and worship.

Lent falls in line with this ancient tradition of physical remembrance. It is a 40-day period before Easter where we enter into Jesus' journey toward the salvation of humankind as he sacrificed himself on the Cross. It is also patterned after Jesus' 40-day fast at the very beginning of his earthly ministry. During these 40 days we deny our physical bodies something. Why? Scotty Smith, a writer for The Gospel Coalition put it this way in a prayer for lent,

"For the next forty days we have the privilege of surveying your cross, lamenting our sin, and resting in your righteousness.

May we come more fully alive to the depth of our need, and the overwhelming provision of your grace. With no condemnation hanging over us, we ask you to work deep conviction within us. Show us the ways we love poorly, under-believe the Gospel, and over-believe our fears. Keep us from groveling, but not from quieting our hearts, seeing our sin, collapsing on you."

In short, we give up something physical because we deeply need something spiritual. We need to be with Jesus, to be like Jesus, and to do what Jesus did. Lent is a time to be with our Saviour, to be like him as those who rely on our Good Father, and to do what he did by denying ourselves, feasting on his goodness, and giving to others. May this be a time of rich blessing for us as a church, which leads to being a blessing to others! Here's how God himself outlined the richness of fasting in the book of Isaiah:

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."

Isaiah 56:6-8

As a church, we are engaging in Lent as an opportunity for God to reframe our situations as we look deeply into the true story of our Saviour.

AS A CHURCH WE ARE DOING THIS IN TWO WAYS:

Join us for a daily Bible reading through the book of Luke. During each day's bite-sized look at a part of the life of Jesus try to place yourself in the story. Picture what it would be like to be on the scene walking with the Savior - seeing the sights, smelling the smells, and feeling the emotions. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, encourage you, and show you how you fit into the Big Story that he is writing.