It's coming...

It starts with an "L" and rhymes with "rent."



Yes, that's right, Lent is just around the corner! In one week we will gather together to sing the beautiful Holden Evening Prayer Service. We'll have Grace's famous Potato Soup and ham sandwiches (it's the soup that's famous, not the sandwiches!).

But even more important than the food, we'll come up one by one to have the sign of the cross made on our forehead, just as we did when we were baptized. But this time the oil is mixed with ashes. Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentence. During lent, we focus on repenting from our sins, or turning away from them.

I can think of sins I need to turn away from. Sins that I am scared to turn away from because I do them so often. Sometimes our sins turn into crutches, but really they hold us back instead of helping us move more freely.

So I feel challenged this Lent. I feel a tension between liking myself in my sin, and knowing that God has a better idea. I know that is true. Especially lately, where I have started to feel bogged down by my sins.

Time to turn over a new leaf, to let the weight of sin fall, to remember that I am baptized and THAT is what makes me who I am. Thank you, God, for giving us times to remember that your love is greater than our fears and our sin!

As we prepare for Ash Wednesday, I invite you to think about what is holding you back, dragging you down, and how God can help you change.