Lenten Lunch Homily

Welcome/Intro

I want to begin by thanking everyone for joining us this afternoon for this special community service.

Thank the Inner Church Council for organizing and For Big Spring United for Hosting us.

Thank you to my sister Linda Hostetter @ Zion Lutheran for partnering with me in this service.

I want to pause for a moment of prayer to prepare our hearts this afternoon. Would you pray with me?

Lord we thank you for this beautiful day this afternoon. For the opportunity to Gather together as one body and worship together.

Intro: As we jump into the season of spring, the whole world changes around us, the flowers begin to bloom the weather is supposed to get warm, animals come out and outdoor spaces come to life.

In Spring, Most of us go through Spring Cleaning

Take inventory of our belongings

Donate/ clean out/ fix up what is old, broken, or clutter.

Spring is also a time for us to do new things like plant Gardens, start new hobbies, work outside. (The essence of spring is the advent of new life)

Transition: As a faith community, we also celebrate the season of Lent in this time. Lent is a season of reflection and renewal where we reflect on the life and sacrifice of Jesus as we prepare for Easter Sunday. I like to think of this season as a season of “Spiritual Spring Cleaning”

Lent as Spiritual Spring Cleaning

In this Season, We take inventory of our spiritual lives.

We pause for a time of 40 days to reflect and spend time reflecting on our own lives, our sense of spirtuality our struggles with Sin and relationship with God.

David, Does this throughout the scriptures, We see this at the end of Psalm 139, where David asks God, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

This season of reflection requires us to be vulnerable with God.

Now, Sometimes we think of confession and conviction as just a uncomfortable thing,

but David says in Psalm 32 that blessed is the one who is forgiven, blessed is the one who sins are not held against them.

But David after confessing says let the faithful pray to God while he can be found and that God is his hiding place. David writes you will protect me from trouble and surround him with Songs of deliverence.

God’s response is that He will teach david and council him with a loving eye. When come before God he wants to teach us, with a loving eye.

In fact, God doesnt want to whip us into shape like a donkey or a horse, but with love.

In this season of lent, I want to encourage us to come to God in prayer and ask God to search us, test our hearts, and lead us into a better way.

Lent is a season where we can grow in our prayer lives and God can grow us through the power of prayer!

Yet, as we think about Jesus’ life in the season of Lent, its not just a time for reflection on the life of Christ, but participate in the life of Christ!

Just as we start new projects/ hobbies in our lives, I want to encourage us to embrace a new spiritual practice or act of service.

What is one way that we can start something new this season?

You could embrace a new prayer practice (intercession, written prayer, prayer walks for the community! (Femi’s prayer walk)

Engage with a new service opportunity this could be formal or something you do for your community.

If you are unable to physically do things you can donate your finances to things like paw packs, you can write letters to inmates or soliders at war.

Lent is a time for God to renew YOU!

God works through a willing Vessel

God uses this season to make us new and renew the Church

The only thing we have to lose is that which holds us back from closer relationship with God and looking more like Jesus in the way we love.

Prayer: Would you pray with me to close and for the blessing of the meal?

I want to pass it off to my sister Linda to close the service with a benediction.