Friday, March 11, 2011

making preparations

Lent is intended to be a time to prepare ourselves for the rich and powerful gift of the resurrection. Many of us participate in the practice of giving things up- chocolate, soda, girl scout cookies, t.v.- and if you live in my house you take the literal approach and sacrifice those things the 40 days before Easter NOT including Sundays. (Even God rested on Sunday...) Others commit to adding practices into their lives for those 40 days, such as daily devotion or prayer, acts of service, or communicating with friends and family. But how are these actions really preparing us for this incredible gift Christ offers? What are we really expecting on Easter?

I think the beauty of faith is being able to offer up our best intentions and let God work out the rest. In the first verse of this week's gospel reading Jesus tells the disciples to go and make preparations for the passover meal, but didn't reveal to them the particular significance of this meal together. He didn't expect them to understand fully the weight of their actions, only that they would take care to do what they were asked. I believe that's what Jesus asks of us also.

As we move through this season, I hope as a community we will be open and ready to receive the gifts God has in store- that through our preparations we will truly see his glory this Easter.

2 comments:

offbeatpoet said...

To lent is the time of planting, the death of things from yesterdeay and a new growth in Christ. The process of perfection, by sustaining grace discussed by john Wesley. We have been preparing our soil as workers on the vineyard and know Christ sacrifice will plant new seeds into our hearts and minds. I find it mesmerizing that in the time of planting new life and the revitalization of nature Christ gave his life for our salvation, his death in spring time was the life for humanity.

on a side note, seeing molly knows how to upload video, yall might want to start recording aspects of the cove say a song and the sermon and post it here, then link the post here to young adults and the FUMCSD facebook page, I really like the big room but I do want to see whats going on in the cove. The is somethin magical in the waters of the cove. I could not sleep something told me to surf over here.

Anonymous said...

Lent begs the question: What is different today than during the days leading up to the last supper? Are we living with integrity, preparing what is needed, and treating others with respect? Lent {like love} is a reminder that we are more alike than we are different however our leaders today (like 2000 years ago) forget that far too quickly. Fred