Learning to Love

 “Community is the context where we learn to love”.  —Rick Warren

    Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent—a time of contemplation, renewal and growth.  The 40 days of Lent parallel both the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism by John the Baptist and the 40 years that the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness.  During the season of Lent, candidates for baptism (or catechumens) were instructed in the tenets of the faith.  

  For most, the pathway of faith is a journey that we’ve walked for many years.  Nevertheless, it is surprisingly easy to begin to stray from the prescribed course by neglecting to spend as much time reflecting upon God’s instructions.  Instead, the focus upon our desires and demands consumes more and more of our lives leaving very little opportunity for spiritual growth and grounding.  

   Our Lenten resource “40 Days of Community” by Rick Warren invites us to consider God’s compelling invitation to (1) love; (2) reach out; (3) fellowship; (4) grow; (5) serve; and (6) worship together.  “A three strand cord is not easily broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12).  The purposes of God are designed to be fulfilled in community with one another.  The church is a community of people determined to embrace and share the will and Word of God.   However, because it’s so easy to become distracted and/or discouraged, it’s important to have a community to which you can be accountable.  

   We are praying that you will use the participants’ guide and the daily devotional to help prepare for the contemplative reflection throughout the season of Lent.  In the worship services and in the classes, we’ll be able to encourage each other to suspend some habits to make room for key moments each day to strengthen our connections to the community of faith.  

We’ll see you in worship and in class. 

In Christ, 
Jon McCoy