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Ash Wednesday

2/22/2012

2 Comments

 
Yet another Lenten season is upon us.  Last night  one of my congregants remarked that every year he comes back to the same question: "What is Lent all about?"  He also said that in previous years there have been times when he felt like he "got it," but it seems like a new challenge every year.

True enough! Each Lenten season brings its own unique 'wilderness' experience; primarily because (in theory), we are not in the same place we were last year.  In fact, if we have been journeying with God for 12 months, (or 12 minutes) we are undoubtedly changed in some way on the inside.  And since I am not the same as I was last year, how can I expect the Spirit that lives in me to allow a mere repeat of a previous experience? And, if this journey is to last the rest of my life, should I not expect to grow in new ways each season?

So for this year, in an effort to allow the Spirit to move in my life, I am going to try something new.  Instead of giving up something for lent, or denying myself the things that I believe keep me from experiencing God, I am going to explore the idea/concept, of a clean heart.  In other words, what would it mean for me to drop my expectations and desires of who and what I want God to be, and just let God be God? What if I went into lent this year with the belief that wherever God is calling me, or in whatever "wilderness" I find myself,  whatever God is leading me to do- that I trust that it is the Spirit that put me there... and that She has, and will have my back?

Yet  in order to do that, I have to be willing to embrace the truth; that God truly is powerful enough to have cleansed me of anything that I would use an an excuse to keep the Spirit captive within my brain space.  I would normally think of this as my 'giving permission' for the Spirit to move- but that still keeps things under my control.  Instead, I am going to try a paradigm  shift.  I am going to try to adopt the notion that the Spirit of God is truly bigger than my willingness (or lack thereof) to accept or reject Her. 
God help me... I can't wait to see 'what Lent is all about' this year!




.
2 Comments

    Linda Pepe

    Bringing people to the table, again and again...

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  • Home
  • Sermons
  • Movies That Cook
  • Things for Your Kitchen
  • Walk to Emmaus- Luke
  • The Unknown God- Acts 17
  • Prayer for the Church
  • Charlotte/ Acts 8:26-40
  • Sower/Jacob
  • Jacob/Prodigal Son
  • Jacob/Romans 8
  • Jacob Wrestling and Blessing
  • Jacob learning to live with a limp
  • FTF Timothy
  • The Field is Ready, Genesis/Romans
  • romans 8
  • Philippians 2:1-13
  • Ruth Dinsmore- Acts
  • Philippians 3: 5-14
  • 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
  • 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8
  • 1 Thessalonians 2:9-20
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:13-19
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
  • New Page
  • Advent 1 Isaiah 64
  • Advent 3 Isaiah 61
  • Christmas Eve Isaiah 9: 1-7
  • Baptism of Jesus Mark 1
  • Mark 1: 14-20
  • Breathe: Mark 1:21-28
  • Backyard Basics 4: Belong
  • Ash Wednesday
  • Backyard Basics 5/Blessings 1
  • Backyard Blessings 2: Generations- Genesis 17
  • Backyard Bless 3-CreationPsalm 19
  • Backyard Blessings 4: Healing Ps 107
  • Backyard Blessings 5: Love-Jeremiah 31
  • Easter Blooms John 20:1-18
  • Backyard Blooms: Luke 24:36-48
  • Vines- John 15: 1-8
  • John 15:9-15 Blessings: Friends
  • Bkyd Blooming: COnfidence- Acts 1
  • Backyard Breeze! Acts 2
  • Bkyrd Breezes:Isaiah 6/Romans 8
  • Bkyrd Brz: 1 Samuel 3/2 Cor
  • Mustard Seed Annointing
  • Bkyrd Breezes: Courage
  • Mark 6:1-13, Romans 12 Bkrd Breezes: Wisdom
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding-Core- Ephesians 2
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Cardio- Ephes 3
  • Backyard Bodybuilding: Legs, Back, Chest, Arms!
  • Bkyrd Bodybuilding- Nutrition-Ep 4
  • Mark 10:35-45
  • Mark 8:27-38
  • Mark 9:30-37 Bkyrd Stmbling:Pride
  • Bkyrd Stumbling Blocks: Patriarchy
  • Mark 4 Combined Service
  • Mark 12: 28-34 Backyard Bounty: Love
  • Backyard Bounty: Value
  • Backyard Bounty: Encouragement Mark 13:1-8
  • Backyard Bounty: Abundance!
  • Backyard Birthing: Speak- Advent 3
  • Backyard Birthing: Sing! Luke 1:39-46
  • Christmas Eve- Ressurection
  • Luke 2: 21-40 A Once Over
  • Epiphany- Matthew- Star of Wonder
  • Beyond the Backyard: The Call-
  • Beyond the Backyard: The Message- Luke 4
  • Beyond the Backyard: Words Matter- Jeremiah 1:4-19
  • Beyond the Backyard:
  • Beyond the Backyard: Compassion
  • Beatitudes: Imagine 1
  • Imagine: Beatitudes- Meekness
  • Imagine Beatitudes: No countries: Hungry, Thirsty, Filled
  • Imagine Luke 15
  • Easter Sermon: Mary- Through our Tears
  • Imagine: Beatitudes- Mercy and Pure Heart
  • Imagine Beatitudes: Peacemakers
  • Imaging: Beatitudes- Persecution/Rejoice!
  • New Page
  • Say yes! (Fig Tree/Potter/Ps139)
  • 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Things we leave behind
  • Say Yes: What we Bring- Luke 14
  • Luke16- Lazarus and the Rich Man
  • Luke 17:1-10- increase our faith
  • Luke 18- Widows, Judges, Labels and MIrrors
  • Pharisee, Tax Collector, Mirrors, and Prayer
  • Luke 19:1-10 -Zacchaeus
  • Luke 20:27-38 Seeing Scripture Differently
  • Seeing church differently Luke 21:5-19
  • John 6- Obstacles:Seeing community differently
  • Compassion Advent 2
  • Advent 3 Compassion 3 Mary
  • Advent 4: Compassion/Joseph Mt 1
  • The Nice List- Christmas Eve
  • Baptism of Jesus-Matthew
  • No Matter What: 1. Abraham
  • No Matter What: Jacob
  • No Matter What: Jacob/Tamar
  • No Matter What: Rahab
  • No Matter What: David
  • On the Road Again: Into the Unknown
  • On the Road: Nicodemus
  • Woman at the Well COVID-19
  • On the Road Again: Man Born Blind
  • On The Road Again: The Rest of Us
  • Easter: Up and On the Move-Mt. 28
  • Risen? Or Fake News? Mt. 28: 11-20
  • How the Virus Stole Easter
  • Emmaus, On the Road...Again?
  • Interruptions and Upheavals 2: Acts 2
  • John 14:1-14, 1 Peter 2:2-10
  • Acts 17:22-31 Interruptions and Upheavals 4
  • Know, Share, Go... Together- John 17
  • Acts 2: For Such a Time as This
  • Christ In Us: A Living Sanctuary Matthew 10
  • Christ in Us: Listening to YHWH
  • Christ in Us: Love Anyway
  • Christ in Us: Abundance
  • Christ in Us: Abundance- Matthew Sower/Romans 8
  • Christ in Us: Acceptance
  • Christ in Us: Gratitude
  • Untitled
  • Creation: Forest: Genesis 2:4-14
  • Creation: Land: Genesis 4: