Minister's Corner

Last night we received the imposition of ashes at our Ash Wednesday Service. One part of the service included a reading of the “Invitation to the Observance of the Lenten Discipline,” contained in the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship. As an invitation, it is not a command. As with all invitations, each of us has the option and the choice to either accept the invitation or turn down the invitation. we always have the choice as to whether or not we enter into, and take upon ourselves, the “Observance of the Lenten Discipline.”

This is the invitation that is extended to each one of you. Take the invitation seriously. Consider well the words of the invitation. Contemplate on what the invitation means to you. Meditate on just what the invitation is asking of you. Pray to God for clarity about to what the invitation is calling you right now, this year, in this particular Observance of the Lenten Discipline.

Friends in Christ, every year at the time of the Christian Passover we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in the paschal mystery. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance, and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and marks the penitence of this community. I invite you, therefore, in the name of Christ, to observe a Holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love, and by reading and meditating on the Word of God. Let us bow before God our Creator and Redeemer and confess our sin. This is your Lenten Discipline. How will you respond?

Peace & Blessings,
Rev. Garry