Welcome, my friends, to Lent.

This is our annual tithe to the Lord - 10% of the year, 40 days, given to God’s deep attentions to our lives.

Given to this radical way of understanding human flourishing - that’s not rooted in the things that can be measured- but in the things that can never be measured - like love, care, concern, affection, hope, and faith.

We are challenging ourselves to do some radical things to combat the world’s assault on our souls.
The world says: Buy something for you.
Lent says: Give that money to the poor.
The world says: Practice self-indulgence.
Lent says: Practice self-discipline.
The world says: Feed your body.
Lent says: Feed your soul.

So today we are putting on sackcloth, confessing our sins, skipping meals, giving alms, and reading Scripture. We’re not doing it because we want to get ahead in this world, but because we want to better imagine another world. We believe that when we get a deeper vision of that other world - the one with the Real Rewards - we are made stronger to resist the false rewards of this world.

So let us walk together as one, either in person or in spirit, as we journey through this sacred time together.
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Reading
Sabbath - Wayne Muller
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
A Severe Mercy - Sheldon Vanauken