Easter is Coming!
Easter is Coming!
By Rev. John Uldrick, Associate Pastor
Lent is a forty-day season of prayer, fasting, and generosity that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on the Thursday before Easter. It's a period of preparation to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection at Easter. During Lent, the church has invited believers to focus on individual discipleship practices: prayer, reading Scripture, generously giving and often practicing self-control through fasting.
In the past, I have encouraged members to give something up but also add a spiritual discipline during these forty days. The goal of these practices isn’t to work our way down a checklist of good deeds. Instead, it’s an attempt to focus on Christ and create an inner discipline of our hearts as we seek to follow Christ's will more faithfully.
The pastoral staff of Second-Ponce invites you to walk through Lent with us this year beginning with the Ash Wednesday service at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, February 22. Consider using the monthly prayer emphasis the Discipleship Council has prepared to guide your prayer life. Consider giving an additional financial gift in honor or memory of a saint who came before you and taught you about the life of discipleship. Consider following along as we use Kate Bowler’s book, Good Enough, along with the accompanying study guide, to direct thoughts of reflection. Consider walking the prayer labyrinth as a spiritual practice on either Saturday, March 11 or Sunday, March 12. Consider participating in our Maundy Thursday event on Thursday, April 6.
This season of Lent can be hard. It is a dark, but important time of focus, reflection and discipline. We have to get ready. We have to open our hearts, focus our minds and gain strength for the celebration of the truth that Christ will rise again. Guess what? Easter is coming!
"Good Enough": A Churchwide Lenten Journey of Faith Through Imperfection
Join us this Lenten season as we explore what it means to live into a faith that is imperfect yet “good enough." This phrase “good enough," from the book of the same name, is a “little shrug that takes us off the hook for perfection and reminds us that we are human.“ There are four ways to engage with our Lenten journey through Good Enough. We encourage you to participate in as many ways as possible, but purchasing the book is not required.
• Start each week with our Sunday morning emails: Use these to guide your thoughts and reflections during Lent. If you receive the Signal, you’re automatically signed up! The first email will be sent this Sunday, February 19.
• Carve out time for a daily devotion: If you desire to go deeper, we suggest the daily readings in the free Good Enough Lenten guide. Download the PDF here.
• Follow along with the original book: To go deeper still, purchase Good Enough: 40ish Devotionals for a Life Of Imperfection at your favorite bookseller.
• Share accountability and perspectives in a small group: 2-3 times during Lent, gather with a small group to discuss the book’s readings and pray together.
Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest Lenten season resources and events!