Rev. Ryan's Weekly Reflection

And so. . . we have entered into the Season of Lent. This past Sunday at Table Church we shared in the ashes and reflected on our journey in these early days of Lent. I reminded us that Lent is, in terms of time, an opportunity for us to "tithe" one-tenth of our year to a more somber reflection on our journey of faith as we walk the path of sorrow and sadness with our Lord. But, remember too, that every Sunday in the season of Lent is a "Mini-Easter" where we take a sabbath day from our Lenten fast or spiritual practice and rest in the goodness and grace of Jesus!

Some other things to consider:

--If you weren't at church this past Sunday, see the bulletin attached that we used to pray our way through our imposition of ashes and Lenten prayers.

--We also reflected on Psalm 27. . . and we wrote down what our "one thing" was that was percolating in our hearts in these early days of Lent (see the bookmark attached).

--Another great quote that reminds us that Lent is about GROWTH & GRACE versus making ourselves "good enough" for God. This quote is from the Christian writer and historian, Diana Butler Bass. She writes:

"Lent tempts Christians to try to fulfill other people’s expectations of what spirituality should look like, usually related to some sort of religious achievement or self-mortification. But Lent is neither success nor punishment. Ultimately, Lent urges us to let go of self-deception and pleasing others. These 40 days ask only one thing of us: to find our truest selves on a journey toward God. . . . Lent embraces our humanity – our deepest fears, our doubts, our mistakes and sins, our grief, and our pain. Lent is also about joy, self-discovery, connecting with others, and doing justice. Lent is not morbid church services. It is about being fully human and knowing God’s presence in the crosshairs of blessing and bane. And it is about waiting, waiting in those crosshairs, for resurrection."