On March 6th we will be entering the season of Lent. Lent is a 40 day season in the church calendar to symbolically follow Jesus into the wilderness as he begins his journey toward the cross. It is a season of fasting, prayer, & repentance. This is not a season of seeking to earn favor through these acts but instead, these disciplines help cultivate in us an awareness of the good news of the gospel, that Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus is for us what we could never be on our own. We not only have an opportunity to lay aside the obvious sins of overindulgence and numbing ourselves through food & entertainment but Lent is also an opportunity to repent of the pride that tells us we are sufficient to handle & run our lives.
This year as we journey through the gospel of Luke we will specifically be looking at the suffering of Jesus as he journeys toward the cross. In his suffering, we see a savior who is not unable to sympathize with us in our weakness but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This good news frees us from any need to "stack up" or "be enough" as well as the lie that we are defined by our mistakes & failures.
I want to invite you to engage the Lenten season with hearts open to receive the grace that only God can give. We will have Lent prayer guides available at our gatherings beginning March 3rd to help you journey through each week. Our worship team recorded an album specifically for the season of Lent in 2018 & we will have those available as well as a resource for anyone who would love to use it as they walk through this season.
Lent Season Schedule:
March 6th - Ash Wednesday Prayer @ 6:00 pm
March 10-April 14th - Sunday Gatherings in the Gospel of Luke
April 19th - Good Friday Prayer Gathering @ 6:30 pm
April 21st - Easter Sunday Gathering
Lent Resources:
Lent Booklet Guide
Redeemer Lent Spotify Playlist