Lent is the Latin word for “long.” As the days grow longer and warmth finally peeks through the cold, we know that after a long, hard winter – Spring is on the way. Lent is meant to be a time where we prepare ourselves for the new life that is waiting just around the corner. Between kids’ classes, appointments, school, work, trying to stay connected as a family and with our friends – our spiritual lives can take a beating. It can feel like we’re stuck in the “long wait” of winter all through the year. God created each one of us to experience full lives which can comprise most if not all of the things I mentioned above, yet we sometimes miss the meaning when we don’t take the time to stop, to rest, to reflect, and to take time to consider the intensity of God’s love and mercy.

This year we’re celebrating Lent with our Journey to the Cross experience. One of the cornerstones of this experience is our Prayer Book. Together as a community, we’ll be traveling through six ancient spiritual practices that have been in use by the church for centuries. Each week focuses on one activity, allowing you to practice it for six days. On the seventh day we have a Sabbath where you get to do something fun and exciting at the end of each week. These practices are meant to help us create a space in our lives to simply embrace the love of God and to reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Many of these activities and prayer styles may be new and foreign to you – but give them all a try. You’ll be surprised at what God uses to speak to you.

The Prayer Books were handed out last night at the Lent Reflection Event, and will also be available the next few Sunday mornings. As well, we’ll be providing a daily blog post about each activity, as well as a digital download of the Prayer Book for you to use on your tablet or smartphone.

The Prayer Book activities start on Monday, March 10th, so be sure to get one this week so you can sync up with all the readings.