The season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday.


Through the years Lent has been seen as a season of penitence, reflection and self examination, a time of opening oneself to God’s direction. Part of the Lenten tradition has included the practice of fasting. Sometimes people fast from a meal during the week, taking time out from community for solitude. In recent years people have added a discipline of donating the money they might have spent on the meal to a charitable cause, perhaps feeding the hungry or supporting healing ministry.

Giving up something for Lent has been a common practice. Often folks decide to give up things that they believe are not good for them anyway: smoking, alcoholic beverages, coffee, chocolate, etc. We talk of this as an extension of the practice of fasting, thinking of this as fasting from smoking or fasting from alcohol.          More recently we are starting to think of fasting from unhealthy behaviors or habits, such as negative thinking or comments. We want to make space for God when we fast; we want to be intentional about inviting God into the space we have emptied by the fasting behavior         During this Lenten season I would invite you to the practice of fasting. Think of something you can let go of in your life. Perhaps you will want to fast from television and instead use the time you would have spent watching TV for prayer, reflection or Bible study. Perhaps you will want to fast from shopping or from spending money on items you do not really need. That could make space for you to invest those resources elsewhere.       I encourage you to engage in this Lenten discipline, to make sacred space, and to experience the presence of God in your life. Rev. Gerry Rev. Gerry