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Dear Saint Mark Family,
This past Wednesday began the season of Lent. Our theme for the season is “The Way of the Cross,” and will be the emphasis of our Lenten Devotional.
Throughout the next 40 days, excluding Sundays, we will journey together, following the path of our Savior and Lord to the cross. During this time, we are called to be intentional in taking on spiritual practices that will strengthen and enrich our faith and our commitment to Jesus Christ.
There are different spiritual practices/disciplines each of us can incorporate into our daily life and routines that will prove highly beneficial and fruitful for our growth and steadfastness as disciples of Christ. Not only will incorporating these spiritual practices in our lives make us fruitful and steadfast, but they will help us to overcome habits that enslave us to sin and weaken our testimony and witness of Christ. They will make us wiser and more determined to obey Him and follow in His footsteps.
There are several spiritual practices you can incorporate into your daily routines. One of the first I would recommend is prayer. Yes, most Christians, if not all, will say they pray every day. And that is good, for prayer is the lifeline that keeps us connected to God. What would it be like, however, if we pray throughout the day, say on the hour, every hour, until 8pm, instead of only praying in the mornings when we get up and at nights before going to sleep? What if we make prayer a hourly rhythm during Lent? There are so many occasions to pray - for our families, for our church, for the poor, the sick, the incarcerated, for our government and country, for the world, and the list goes on. You will never be short of reasons to pray each hour.
Another spiritual practice I would recommend is fasting. Fasting is a time of abstaining from food to draw closer to God. It is denying oneself to focus on God and discern the ways of God. John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Movement considered fasting as a means of grace and fasted weekly from Thursday night to Friday night. He also encouraged the early Methodists to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays each week. You will be surprised how much we can learn about ourselves when we fast, and how much we can learn from God. Please check with your doctor as needed if you decide to undertake this spiritual practice.
Another I would recommend is the spiritual practice of celebration. Yes, I know it may seem strange that celebration is designated as a spiritual practice, but it is. What would it be like to celebrate one good thing that has happened in your life, and to be intentional about doing it each day? This leads to another spiritual practice you can also do, and that is thanksgiving. During these 40 days, how might your soul and heart expand with gratitude if each you day write down at least one thing for which you are grateful?
There are other spiritual practices such as solitude, service, simplicity, worship, confession, Bible study, and more. Any of these will be helpful to you as we journey together in this Lenten season.
Each Monday, a member of the clergy and ministry team will share a devotion, and issue you a daily invitation throughout the week. I pray you will participate in them and find them helpful and enriching.
Let us go forth and observe a Holy Lent, as we journey together in the footsteps of Christ, our Lord.
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