At various points throughout my life, I have sat back and noticed how quickly time seems to pass by. It seems like only a few days ago that I was at my Grandparents house playing my Game Boy after school, when in reality that was 20+ years ago. It seems like COVID-19 has been around for a long while, when it only hit the U.S. roughly 2 years ago. Time has a weird way of keeping us grounded and connected to the present. As clergy, we often look at our calendars and see that Lent, Holy Week, Advent, etc. are coming up “soon” but I find myself shocked at how quickly these seasons arrive each year.
These seasons in the church are not ones we can sit idly by and let pass. These are seasons that define our faith and grant us the ability to believe in Christ our Lord. Growing up, Lent was not a favorite season of mine. I felt like it was all about giving “something” up so that I could do without that something for those 40 days. At the end of Lent, I would usually feel joyful that I made it through the 40 days and stayed true to my commitment to give something up. As I have grown in my faith and in my journey of discipleship, I have come to realize that Lent is not a season of “giving up” but a season of orientation.
Yes, many of us do give up something in the season of Lent, but giving something up is only a small fraction of the heart of the Lenten season. That which we decide to abstain from during Lent is not a reason to pat ourselves on the back nor is it a time to allow our faith to be surface level. Lent pushes us to see what our gaze is set upon, where our faith lies, and gives us the opportunity to reorient our lives toward God. It is a call for repentance and discipline and a time to sit and be still before God. In these moments we may find that we placed God on the back burner and allowed our hearts and minds to trust in something other than God.
We have experienced the ups and downs of life and ministry in a pandemic and may have begun to grow tired, frustrated and weary. Maybe we began to take our eyes off God because of all of the distractions. Maybe we allowed ourselves to become burnt out over all of the stress and anxiety. And maybe some remained solidified in their faith! Whatever the circumstance is for you, we have a tremendous gift in Lent. Not “dryer lint” but a season of lent where those who are weary can come and rest in Christ Jesus. A season where God ushers all of His children to turn our gaze upon Him. A season that tells us that through the trials and the pain, we as God’s children will remain forever unbroken. A season that reminds us that though we walk through a darkened valley, we are never alone.
My prayer for our district is that we join together as a unified community during Lent, repent of our gaze being on something other than Christ, seek to find much needed rest and love in Him, and have our hearts, minds, soul, and strength restored and oriented toward our Rock and Redeemer.
Peace in Christ,
Avery Lail
Rev. Avery Lail
Pastor of Halifax and Ebenezer UMC
Heritage District Congregations for Children (C4C) Coordinator