For weeks now we have been preparing for the start of our 40-day journey, and today's the day. If you are reading this blog on the day it is published, today is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. And for us at Rock Church it marks the beginning of this journey into a deeper and full of connection with Christ. If you were raised in a more traditional or liturgical expression of the Christian Church you may be very familiar with Ash Wednesday and season of Lent. If not, these may be very new concept to you.
Lent is the season of preparation leading up to Easter that has been observed by the Christian church since the fourth century. The Biblical foundation for Lent is the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness prior to the start of his public ministry. Jesus spent that time fasting and praying as a way of preparing himself spiritually for what was to come. Ash Wednesday is a special observance to mark the beginning of this season. I mentioned in an earlier writing that the ashes represent repentance and remorse for our sin. Tonight at 6:30 pm we will hold a combined Ash Wednesday service at our Plaistow campus as a way to mark the beginning of our 40-day journey together. I hope you'll all be able to join us. We don't have the opportunity to all be together in one service very often, so I'm really looking forward to us being together as one church family.
But even more, I am looking forward to how God will use this 40-day journey in our lives. My prayer for you is that these forty days leading up to Easter will be a time when you are fully immersed in the presence of Christ. I pray that we would begin each day mindful of who we are and whose we are. Now more than ever we need to strengthen our foundation in Christ. I pray that by starting every day intentionally focused on Jesus, and striving to become more like him, it will accomplish two things. I pray it will give us the strength we need to navigate these difficult times in which we are living. And I pray it will allow each of us to be a reflection of Jesus in such a beautiful way that people cannot help but see the Christ in us and be drawn to him.
This Sunday we will launch a new teaching series that goes hand-in-hand with the 40-day journey. I would invite and encourage you will be with us all six weeks of the series entitled “Like Jesus.” I believe God has something great for you in this!
Have a blessed day and I look forward to us being together tonight for Ash Wednesday service and this weekend as we begin this new series.
Love you all,
Pastor Steve
BTW, if you have not yet signed up to receive the daily emails for the 40 Day Journey, you can do so by emailing Lynette at Lynette@rock-church.org.
Also, we are looking for folks who would like to take a week to prepare either dinner or dessert for Wednesday night youth group in Plaistow. It is to feed 15 to 20. Simple meals for teens (tacos, pizza, mac and cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.) If you would like to sign up for a week, you can do so at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a054aa5a629a75-rock17. You don’t have to do dinner and dessert. You can choose one or the other.