One of things I miss most about being in a more traditional church is the liturgical calendar. As you probably already know because of the increased percentage of dirty foreheads, today is Ash Wednesday. Today, we remind ourselves that this life will end with a return to dust (Gen 3:19).... and we begin forty days of prayer, reflection, and preparation in anticipation of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Today is the beginning of a journey toward the cross of Christ. 24-7 Prayer is doing a five minute daily devotional for each day of Lent. Today's better explains Ash Wednesday and challenges us to take steps toward growing closer to Jesus. Check out the first video below...
For many, today also begins forty days of preparing our hearts through fasting. What does abstaining from Coke or Facebook accomplish? Abstaining from something we value creates an opportunity for us to draw closer to God. I don't need caffeine for energy; I need to be refreshed by the Holy Spirit. I don't need a social network to give my life value; I need to see myself as a daughter of God and a co-heir with Christ. You see, fasting isn't for God. Fasting is for us, it refocuses our hearts on how God is in our lives. During Lent, we focus specifically on what Jesus sacrificed so that we may have life with Him.
Growing up, I fasted during Lent because it was expected of me and because it was the religious thing to do. I spend years missing the point, didn't I? This year though, I am looking forward to fasting because I want to refocus on God. I'll be doing a modified Daniel fast during Lent. I'll post the details as a comment, because my intention of this post isn't to draw attention to my own fasting goals.
I'm writing to invite you to journey with me. Will you set aside forty days to consider what Jesus' life, death, and resurrection means for your life? Will you consider checking out the daily devotional videos? Or perhaps setting aside ten minutes of Facebook time to pray? Or maybe even reading through the Gospel of Luke- whether it's for the hundredth or the first time? Would you consider devoting some aspect of your life toward discovering more of who Jesus is during the next several weeks?
My prayer is that you will join me and thousands of Christians around the world in observing Lent this year. And, if you do, let me know.... you can even leave a comment below if you want. Just let me know that you are journeying with me, even if you aren't comfortable sharing how. I want to pray with you through the next few weeks. And, I ask that you pray for me as well. Let's walk beyond the dust and towards the cross together...
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Comment by Unknown on March 9, 2011 at 6:12 PM
For lent this year, I'm doing three things.
1)A modified Daniel fast- the concept comes from the first chapter of Daniel where he and his friends refused to eat the king's food and drink the king's wine to prevent themselves from being defiled. Instead they requested to eat pulse and drink water. There is some debate as to what pulse was- a specific food, just vegetables, or grains- but there is a common understanding that it means food from plants. Thus, I'll only be eating food from plants- avoiding all meats and chemically processed foods. And, I'll be drinking only water. I have decided to eat the fast on Palm Sunday in order to fully celebrate Holy Week.
2)I'll be doing a mini-technology fast. I just decided this today as I wasted much of my time on social media sites. I'm only allowing myself to use Facebook, Twitter, and Google Reader between the hours of 5p.m. and midnight. The goal is to cut back on my habit of checking for updates, and these are the more flexible hours of my day.
3) I want to actually tithe my time to God. I made that commitment earlier this year, and have been pretty bad at following through. My goal is to solidify the habit over Lent.
Please note that these are my particular goals for this Lent. I have prayed through them, and feel like they will help me grow closer to God. I encourage you to pick something appropriate for your life that is challenging, but that you will follow through with. I'd love to hear what you are doing so that I can pray with you.
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