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Avon Lake
Presbyterian Church
32340 Electric Blvd.
Avon Lake, OH 44012
Click for a Map
Tom can be reached at:
440.933.6240
trobinson@avonlakepc.org
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Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God endures forever
It used to be that Lent was a time of serious reflection and contemplation of what
it means to follow Jesus. I don’t know if it
came from a way-too-busy
schedule or living in a less serious
time, but we don’t seem to do a
lot of penitential reflection in
Lent anymore. It has just become
one more season for us to get
through, a few days before Easter,
the last days of winter and the
first days of spring leading to
other celebrations, such as spring break,
the end of school and summer vacations.
It’s at about this point in a newsletter
and/or sermon where the preacher says
something like, “Now I want all of you to
change…” But the reality is that ministers
are just as guilty of skipping by Lent as
anyone. At least this one is. Mea culpa.
But the joyous news of the Christian
faith is that God is always extending to us
opportunities to repent, to turn around, to
change direction. The 40 days of Lent give
us an opportunity to reflect, to study, to pray
about the directions we are taking in our lives
and whether they are leading us closer to
God or farther away from the Holy, loving
Presence who calls us.
In the season of Epiphany we
looked at what it means to be grounded
to be the body of Christ. That is such a loaded
area of reflection and discussion that it has by
no means been exhausted by our reflections of
the last seven weeks. We will continue
to reflect on being grounded in
God’s purpose throughout this year,
throughout our lives.
But in Lent we have another direction
– to seek to be alive to God’s
presence in Jesus Christ. How is
God present in our lives? How do
we sense Jesus Christ alive in our midst?
Those are not idle questions, or just casual
things to ponder once in a while. As a church,
they need to be at the center of what we do. If
all we are about is one program after another,
staying busy, taking up space, then we are no
different than any other organization. But we
have been called to be something special; to
be someone special. We have been called to
be people who are alive to the new thing God
is doing in our midst, especially as we see it
lived out in the life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. In his life we see life, in his
truth find freedom, in his direction we find
peace.
I would like to invite you to spend this
season of Lent reflecting on the ways God is
present with you in your life. What shape
does it take? What does it feel like when you
are in relationship with God? What gets in the
way? How can you open yourself up to
what God is saying to you?
Those are not just good questions for
the 40 days of Lent. They are important to
consider every day we live. But Lent is a
good place to start. In this season as we
walk with Jesus, may we be open to the
new thing he is doing in our midst, to the
new way of life he is calling us, to receive
the new people he is disguised in.
May you have a Lent filled with
discoveries and presence.
Grace and peace,
Tom
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