Dearest Family and Friends of St. Margaret’s,
Greetings in Christ to each of you.
Blessings and peace to you as we begin our Lenten Journey – together, even though virtually. I hope you were able to view the Ash Wednesday Virtual Service. If not, I commend it to you. Let part of your Lenten Discipline be to participate in the weekly online worship services. A time to enter into quiet time, a time to pray, a time to listen, a time to be assured of your place as a beloved, forgiven child of God.
The First Sunday in Lent always tells the story of Jesus being driven into the wilderness, where he is tempted for 40 days and 40 nights. In each gospel version of this story, it happens immediately after his baptism in the Jordon by John the Baptist. It is a time of stripping away of those things which are deemed necessary for life – a time of getting to the essence of our humanity in relation with our Loving God.
Each year we are invited to keep a Holy Lent, by prayer, reading, almsgiving, of self-discipline and self-reflection and repentance. A time to let go of extraneous things – to clean out the attic of our souls – IN ORDER to make new room for Christ in our daily lives.
Make space – make time for your relationship with God through Christ. Breathe in the Spirit. At the top-of-the-hour, stop for a moment and say the Jesus Prayer – taking note of your breath. There are so many ways to adopt Lenten practices. One practice for me is to turn off the radio in my car. My radio is always on in my car – news, podcasts, music etc. This simple (seemingly innocuous) practice of silence without the radio turns my car into my own personal prayer cell.
Let us journey together this Lent. Let us practice our faith – as practicing Christians!
And, PLEASE read our post regarding the information on the upcoming Virtual Annual Meeting to be held on Sunday, Feb. 28th at 2:00 PM.
Be well, look out for your neighbor, keep a Holy Lent, be smart, stay focused on Our Lord.
Jane+
Breathe in, “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God.” Breathe out, “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
View our Virtual Service on YouTube
(Available 9:00 AM the Day Of Service and Thereafter)