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Today is a sacred day on the Liturgical Calendar.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.

In case you are not familiar with these terms, I’ll give you a brief definition. The Liturgical Calendar commemorates the main happenings throughout the life of Jesus.  It begins four weeks prior to Christmas with the season of Advent (preparing for the birth of Jesus). Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days (excluding Sundays) through the Thursday prior to Easter (the day that commemorates the Last Supper). Advent and Lent are both seasons of preparation. Times when we are called to examine our own hearts, draw closer to Jesus, and mend relationships.

This practice is often associated with “rules” as set forth by the Catholic Church.

The practice goes back further though to the early Christian churches.

I used to get bogged down in the “rules” of the seasons. I wanted to make sure I did it “right.” As I have grown in maturity as a Christian, I have also learned that the purpose of these seasons is to draw me closer to Jesus, rest in His peace, and nourish my relationship with Him.  What a relief! There is no “right” way to practice Lent because there is also no “wrong” way to do it either.

I have come to a place where I see the practice of the liturgical cycles as a way of being intentional about my relationship with Jesus. It’s a time to check in with myself and see what I’m doing to nurture that relationship.

The following photo was in a social media post:

One reason the resonated clearly with me is that the list not only suggests what to leave behind but also what to put in its place.

Lord, help me fast from the behaviors that do not glorify You and to engage in behaviors that draw others closer to You.

Last week, Liz wrote about January and resolving to do things differently. It’s a new year, and I’m going to create a new me.

I’ve had a couple of thoughts knocking around in my head. (I know, that’s a dangerous neighborhood; I shouldn’t be there alone. SO thankful that the Holy Spirit is always with me!)

• People Must Know (From the pilot episode of The Chosen)
• Do I believe IN God, or do I BELIEVE God?
• January is the beginning of the calendar, but it’s winter when we rest and prepare for renewal in the spring.

In 2021, the sermon series challenged us all to look at the Saints who came before us (Hebrews 11, By Faith), the obstacles that stand between us and God (Hebrews 12-13, Run Free), and what we are called to as disciples of Jesus (2 Timothy, Entrusted). 

When I attended the viewing of Christmas with The Chosen, the shepherd’s words from the pilot episode struck a chord within me. “People must know.” They must know that the savior of the world came to live among us. He grew, laughed, struggled, was happy, angry, sad, and frustrated at times. That God The Son experienced every aspect of being human. Including separation from God the Father due to sin and rebellion. His life, death, and resurrection provide a path to salvation, peace, and healing. 

People must know the story of Jesus in MY life. He carried me through the death of my father. How he rejoiced at my salvation. Led me through the desert of divorce and into the green pastures of healing. He has pruned the dead branches and the “suckers” from the tree of my life that steal joy and contentment. How my spiritual and emotional health has been restored and strengthened through that pruning. 

I’ve been meditating on what I am doing to tell that story. It’s still in process. I’ll let you know when it becomes more evident. 

As for BELIEVING God….whoa! That one really hit me several years ago, and it continues to cycle through my head periodically. While working through a Beth Moore study by that title, I was challenged to focus on the promises of scripture. Specifically, whether I was giving them lip service or had embedded those promises in my heart. I continue to pray scripture over people in my life. I have a verse for each of my kids (young adults now) that I pray using their names and personalizing. My personal verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future.” My prayer often sounds like this, “Lord, I know that Your plans are good, that they will never harm me, and will always give me hope and a future. I don’t understand what is happening now. Help me to see your light and your plan.” OR “Lord, you have promised me life with hope and prosperity. I give this victory to You, for I know it is part of Your plan.” I often pray scripture when I simply don’t have the words to express my feelings or struggle with acceptance or understanding. Scripture shifts my focus from right now to eternity. 

Finally, while listening to an outdoors podcast, the guest talked about January being more of a transition time than a beginning. She spoke of the cold, barren character of winter. How animals hibernate and trees go dormant as a time of replenishing. This started me thinking about the Christin Liturgical calendar. The “new year” begins with Lent, an 8-week time of preparation before Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. How would my life look different if I take this “rest” time to reflect on my life and set my “new me” goals starting in the spring with the resurrection and the rebirth of life? The gym would definitely not be as busy! 

This is another area that I am still simmering on. Look for more thoughts in future postings. 

Let me know what you are meditating on. 

How are you telling your story? Are you starting new in January or resting until spring?

[2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV] 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

     I can still remember the elderly, limping, wheezing, smoke-belching, gutless, rickety pile of metal that passed for a car that my dad coaxed into life every morning back in the fifties.  That pile of junk struggled to carry us on short trips to the grocery store and barely made it to the top of the nearby Hualapai Mountains. The trips from Kingman to Flagstaff in that old heap were worse. We never knew when a new clank or thud would signal another crisis with the tired engine or worn-out parts in the car’s rear end.  My father carried a whole case of oil in the trunk, knowing he would have to stop every hundred miles to pour in another quart into that leaky engine.  On downhill slopes, we had the illusion that that old jalopy had some power, but the steep grades returned us to the reality that this poor old vehicle would soon not be able to take us where we wanted to go.  The day came when no repair could keep that junker alive.  We needed a new car!

   You and I are much like that poor old ’39 sedan in many ways.  No more band-aids or quick fixes will do.  We are worn out and need to be made new, renovated from top to bottom, inside and out.  Only the death of our old self and the resurrection of the life of Christ within us will make us new and, by faith, able to conquer the steep mountains awaiting us on our journey (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-5).

     The first step to this regeneration, this making us new, comes when we, by faith, choose to sink or swim with Christ.  Being “in Christ” means we lean all of ourselves on Jesus, our perfect High Priest. As we kneel at the foot of the cross, we can receive forgiveness, and an undeserved do-over from the only One qualified to rescue us (Hebrews 5:9; 1Peter 3:22). 

    The next step brings with it a radical change.  We receive a heart transplant from Dr. Holy Spirit, our Great Physician.  Instead of exchanging one sin for another or spraying ourselves with some kind of outward morality to try to kill the stench of death, we emerge from spiritual heart surgery as a totally new creation (Colossians 2:11). God doesn’t just pare away some sin here and some evil there, a misconception here, and a lie there.  He changes every atom of who we are!  But wait, there’s more!  God also declares us legally new because of what Jesus did to pay our sin-debt on the cross (Romans 4:7-8; 5:1; John 5:24; Colossians 2:14). He no longer treats us as our sins deserve but gives us grace and more grace (John 1:16; Romans 3:24; 5:20; 6:14).  In Christ, God has given us the character of His Son in exchange for our old, tired, defaulting-to-sin nature.  What a task, considering how hard and resistant we can be! 

     Over time, our understanding of God’s goodness to make such a trade grows.  Our “new” becomes newer!  Our developing understanding produces gratitude that energizes our new way of doing life.  Our hearts become softened, and the love of Jesus becomes our “master-passion,” as Spurgeon often preached. Instead of being complacent about our sin, we armor ourselves for war with it until wholeness and holiness become uppermost in our daily lives (Ephesians 6:11; Romans 13:12-14; Colossians 3:12-14).  People begin to sense a freshness, an energy, and the scent of clean, vibrant life about us, a life that grows sweeter and more robust over the years.  As we train to live out this new nature, we find ourselves thinking and acting, living and moving more and more as our Savior does. Because our life is flowing from Jesus, our Vine, we gradually will find ourselves no longer comfortable with our old, sin-driven life. (1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 3:27).  “Old” just doesn’t work any longer.

    When our old car finally died, my father finally scraped the finances to purchase a new-to-us, used car.  It didn’t burn oil!  It had a powerful engine, the best powerplant that Dodge Motors could make.  There were no holes in the upholstery and no dings and dents on its body.  Oh, the joy of that new car!  But over time, it also went the way of all vehicles, resting at last in the junkyard.  But we have a “new” from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that stays ever fresh, ever renewed, and eternal when we place ourselves in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:16; Colossians 3:10).  In this “new,” the hope, youth, life, and the strength of Christ’s spirit in us is being renewed constantly (Psalm 94:19:103:5; 110:3; Isaiah 57:10; Revelation 21:5). In Christ, ‘new” becomes newer every day!

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, teach me how to live new.  Amen.