Devotion Through Lent

By Eileen Gathman

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." Matthew 4:1-2

We're coming into the penitential season of the Church year called "Lent," and if that means very little to you, join the crowd. Many evangelical churches have stayed away from focusing too strongly on it for fear of being too closely associated with our "high church" sisters and brothers. But in recent years, churches have made attempts to restore the Lenten focus on increased prayer, almsgiving, and fasting as a way of drawing us closer to the heart of Jesus in the midst of our increasingly confused lives. In fact, the season of Lent, the 40 days leading up to the celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter, mirrors the 40-day temptation that Jesus faced in the desert prior to the start of his ministry. It's comforting to know that Jesus did not have a "get-through-earthly-life-easy" card but had to spend time in devoted prayer and fasting to confront the great temptation of the devil.

It may be helpful to clarify a few myths that many may be thinking, but are afraid to ask about this season:

• Myth #1: We give up chocolate, potato chips, and other treats for Lent as a way of losing weight after Valentine's candy and prior to all that we'll get in our Easter basket.
• Truth: This practice of giving something up that we enjoy (or committing to a new spiritual discipline for the season) is a tangible way of reminding us of Jesus' time in the desert and of his sacrifice for us on the cross.
• Myth #2: The Thursday prior to Easter is called "Monday, Thursday."
• Truth: The correct name is "Maundy Thursday," rooted in the Latin word to mandate, referring to the mandate or commandment Jesus gave to his disciples to love one another, even as Jesus loves us, during his final meal.
• Myth #3: We don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent so we can have pizza night.
• Truth: While many may designate Friday nights "pizza night" or "fish night" during Lent, it is more commonly accepted that we fast from eating meat on Lenten Fridays to remember Jesus' body given over to death for us on Good Friday.

As we, the body of Central Presbyterian Church, enter this Lenten season, we are offering many opportunities for increased worship, prayer, study, and devotion. We begin on Wednesday, February 21st, at 7:30 pm with our Ash Wednesday service, marked by the distribution of ashes on our foreheads and the sacrificial meal of Holy Communion, both symbolizing the mourning of death and sin in the world. We are again offering small group Lenten study guides, written by Kathy Smith and Debbie Schmidt, to accompany our Sunday morning sermon study through the book of James.

If you are interested in joining a small group study for this season or would like to pick up the study guide, please see the Small Group Connect table in the Concourse.

On Thursday, April 5th, at 7:30 pm you are invited to join us for an evening of Taize worship, where we'll reflect together in song, prayer, and scripture. We will gather for Good Friday on Friday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm and 7:00 pm in an experiential service held in rooms throughout the church that includes drama, music, scripture, prayer, and visual artwork. Please come back Easter weekend for our services in celebration of the resurrection on Saturday, April 7th, at 7:00 pm (Mosaic), and Sunday, April 8th, at 8:15 & 10:00 am (Traditional), and 11:30 am (Mosaic).

We look forward to seeing you throughout this Lenten season in study, prayer, and worship. Regardless of where we consider ourselves along this journey, we pray that we are all able to go deeper in our devotion to Jesus and in understanding God's love for each of us.