This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter.
This is a really important season for Christians. By observing the 40 days of Lent, we are imitating Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for 40 days. It’s a time to pause and reflect on the life of Jesus and to remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.
At our Ash Wednesday service, I encouraged our church to prayerfully consider participating in the practice of abstaining and/or engagement with the Lord. And we all filled out the Lenten Commitment Card to help us intentionally step into this season.
If you haven’t joined our church family’s Lenten journey yet, I want to encourage you to start today. It’s not too late. Please join us by fasting, praying, reading the Bible, and/or participating in a small group. Our church put together a daily Lenten audio devotional series that you can access in the new Vineyard Columbus Church app. This reflective, encouraging series may be just the thing your soul needs in this season.
I also want to share with you this powerful poem called “Exposed” by Sarah Bourns:
We’ve all been exposed.
Not necessarily to the virus
(though maybe...who knows).
We’ve all been exposed BY the virus.
Corona is exposing us.
Exposing our weak sides.
Exposing our dark sides.
Exposing what normally lays far beneath the surface of our souls,
hidden by the invisible masks we wear.
Now exposed by the paper masks we can’t hide far enough behind.
Corona is exposing our addiction to comfort.
Our obsession with control.
Our compulsion to hoard.
Our protection of self.
Corona is peeling back our layers.
Tearing down our walls.
Revealing our illusions.
Leveling our best-laid plans.
Corona is exposing the gods we worship:
Our health
Our hurry
Our sense of security.
Our favorite lies
Our secret lusts
Our misplaced trust.
Corona is calling everything into question:
What is the church without a building?
What is my worth without an income?
How do we plan without certainty?
How do we love despite risk?
Corona is exposing me.
My mindless numbing
My endless scrolling
My careless words
My fragile nerves.
We’ve all been exposed.
Our junk laid bare.
Our fears made known.
The band-aid torn.
The masquerade done.
So what now? What’s left?
Clean hands
Clear eyes
Tender hearts.
What Corona reveals, God can heal.
Come Lord Jesus.
Have mercy on us.
In light of what life has looked like for the past year, I am particularly grateful for this Lent season. If you are feeling spiritually dry, if you are hungry for intimacy with the Lord, if you are in need of personal revival, let’s journey through this season together as a church family.
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Visit our 2021 Lenten Series page to find out more about the devotional series and to download our app.
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