Well, I am not sure if I have mentioned it to everyone yet, but I am doing a fast for Lent this year. The fast is known as the Daniel Fast, which is a vegan diet plus elimination of some difficult things for me (like coffee). But with all that I have going on in work and school, I decided I wanted to do something really focused in on my spiritual life and so fasting through the season of lent it is.
Now, if you do not know, the season of Lent is a season of reflection on our lives as people of faith and making changes as we grow closer to the spirit. It is spending time recongnizing where we could better serve others (which mean how we can better serve Jesus, hello Matthew 25). This season is considered 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, however that count does not include Sundays because those are the days we celebrate Jesus and the ressurection, and so they are days meant for celebrating. This almost seems a little weird with how we approach Lent in our world today, but traditionally the reflection on our lives is meant to be part of penitence, feelings of sorrow for wrongdoing (or sin if you will). I do not nessisarily disagree with this sentiment, I think that we should feel sorrow for what we have done or not done, but I think this season is also a time for some grace to enter our minds as well.
We live in a world constantly wanting our attention, to sell us things or distract us from things, and it is exhausting. It is no wonder that there is fatigue of compassion and empathy in our world. So I like to use Lent as a season of reflection and renwal. At the end of lent we celebrate Easter, the ressurection of Christ! What a glorious celebration that is and that we will have! But here is the thing, the church does not end with Easter, in fact the Church did not even start with Easter, it is in the time after the ressurection, the time of pentecost, that the church starts and spreads around the world. Indeed, we reflect on our lives in Lent as we prepare for Easter, but the work we are doing is truly to center and prepare oursleves for the work we are called to do after we find an empty tomb, to go and be the Good News to the world, sharing God's Love, Compassion, and Mercy everywhere.
So, let us enter into Lent doing the work we need to do on ourselves so that when we see that the tomb is empty on Easter morning, we are ready to shout the Good News from the Mountain Top!
May you have a blessed day and I hope to see you at some of our Lenten Events here at FCC Missoula. As for me, I will be doing this fast and aiming to post regularly on this blog over the lenten season.
Love,
Pastor Mat
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