Welcome to Lent, Disciple Sojourner.
Last night we participated in a powerful Ash Wednesday service where we were reminded by Jesus that all who wish to follow must take up their cross and die to things that hold us back from a surrendered life that promises abundant resurrection. We claimed our need for a Savior as ashes were placed on our heads. We heard the familiar words spoken over us as the sign of the cross was placed on our foreheads: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” But this year, we responded back with words of hope and assurance: “In life and in death, I belong to Jesus.”
So far in Mark we have met a rough, rebel, emotional, and lonely Jesus who draws friends close and holds them to a high expectation that they will continue his mission of prophetic, miracle working, critic-of-the-culture who liberates us from the oppression this world places on us and frees us to live abundantly as the beloved children of God we are. The final half of Mark begins with Jesus predicting his death and suffering, something that will happen in each subsequent chapter either in word or in action. To pick up a cross and follow Jesus means that as we move toward Easter, Jesus is going to call us to die to things that are obstacles in our lives and of this world that block us from truly understanding and living into resurrection. Like the stages of development humans move through from infancy to older adulthood, we will find there are similar spiritual movements of letting go in order to fully mature as disciples who understand and live resurrection on this side of eternity.
This Lent we hope you will join us as we become disciples who are DYING TO LIVE, willing to let go each week of something that, through Christ’s death and resurrection, will come back to us as new life and rebirth. There are Lent Devotion Guides you can pick up in worship or view online by clicking here to help you with daily readings, reflections, and prayers for each of the chapters we will read. Each Sunday there will be a tangible experience for you to release, let go, or die to something in order for Christ to bring something new and beautiful to life in each of us.
For the first Sunday of Lent, we will begin with a very non-traditional Scripture. In fact, it is the Scripture typically used on the last Sunday, Transfiguration Sunday. But it fits with not only our reading pattern of chapter by chapter, it also leads us to the first thing Jesus calls us to die to and let go of as we listen in to Peter and the others plotting ways for them to stay on the mountain with the transfigured Jesus. Read chapter 9 of Mark and listen to Pastor Jad’s extra podcast lecture that dropped yesterday, available wherever you get your podcasts, to dig into the word for Sunday. Watch your email on Saturdays as well for a devotion to prepare your hearts for worship.
See you this Sunday as we begin our journey from death to life together.
Your Clergy Team
P.S.
This Sunday in Traditional worship we will honor and celebrate Amy Martin Cole as we thank her for the six years she has led our Sanctuary Choir. Amy came to us at just the right time and offered her expertise, creativity, passion, and heart to help heal, train, and transform our Choir. We cannot thank her enough for the amazing work she has done, especially with helping our Choir pivot to virtual music rehearsals and videos over the last two years. We want to celebrate Amy and her husband John, who helped make those virtual choir videos, music sets, and even the amazing TwELF Days of Christmas drive-thru experience come to life. Both of them have been gifts to us and we will celebrate what they have meant to us, blessing Amy as she begins to follow Christ in her next endeavors. But don’t forget, they will still be St. Lukers, so we can’t wait to see what God accomplishes with them and through them in the years to come. See you Sunday, either in person at 9:15 a.m. or online at 11:00 a.m.!