The season of Lent starts next week with Ash Wednesday. Lent is the name for the period of 40 weekdays (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It is recognized as a time of penitence and fasting in preparation for the resurrection life of Jesus. The western church has likened this season to Jesus’ time of preparation in the wilderness prior to his public ministry. Like Jesus, when we embrace spiritual disciplines, we are preparing ourselves for the work God wants to do through us.
Transfiguration Sunday is the Sunday prior to Ash Wednesday. I have always enjoyed preaching on Transfiguration Sunday because the typical message reminds us that we cannot remain in our “mountaintop” experiences with Jesus, but instead we must go down into the valleys of life’s struggles to follow God’s calling. It is easy to make fun of Peter’s idea to build dwellings for Moses, Elijah and Jesus and stay on the mountaintop.
This Sunday, however, I am exploring a different approach. What if Peter was onto something? What if Peter would have been less likely to deny Jesus later if he had spent more time on that mountaintop experiencing the power of God’s revelation? Times of misery and hardship are sure to come to us all, and how we handle hardship is directly related to our time with Jesus before hardship strikes.
The scriptures for Sunday are Exodus 34:29-30 and Luke 9: 28:35. I am working on a message entitled “Exhausted or Power Charged?” I pray that God inspires us all to spend time in His presence so that we are prepared for anything the future has in store. We can do all things through Him who strengthens us!
We will offer the imposition of ashes next Wednesday, March 2, from 8am-9am and 12pm-1pm in the chapel and our Ash Wednesday service with the imposition of ashes starts at 6:30pm in the sanctuary, also on March 2.
Thanks for your financial support, prayers, and service here at Grace UMC. One sign of a vital church is whether the surrounding community would miss us if we disappeared. I know the Merritt Island community would miss the many ways we bless people every day.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday and sharing the Lenten journey with you in the days ahead! Don’t forget to invite new people each week!
Steve Hart