Lent 2008: Prayer Empowers Discipleship

Giving Up Something for Lent
Ash Wednesday (Feb. 6) and the start of the season of Lent comes quickly this year. A lot of us are familiar with the practice of giving up something for the season. It is a discipline that leads us to shake off some of the things that hinder us in our walk with Jesus. Through this practice, we can discover God graciously easing the weight of the burdens of life. From out of this sacrifice, then God grows us in a new way of living. In these weeks, prayerfully consider what God is calling you to let go of this year. What’s weighing you down? What’s getting between you and God? What’s keeping you from living the life God wants you to live? Give it up.

Starting Up Something for Lent
In addition to “giving up” something for Lent, we are encouraged to “take up” something to strengthen our relationship with Jesus, something to empower our discipleship. This is one of our goals as a community of disciples: We seek to empower disciples of Jesus Christ. This Lent, turn to God in prayer. Prayer empowers discipleship. Prayer draws us closer in our walk with God.
On Thursdays in Lent, (starting Feb. 14 … what better Valentine’s Gift than to be together in love of God?) we will get together to practice and reflect on the practice of prayer. In the evening, we will host a Soup and Study with our friends from Franklin Reformed Church. We will do the same study on Thursday afternoon for those who do not wish to go out at night. Guiding our discussion and giving us a means of practicing prayer will be the book Forty Days to Closer Walk with God: The Practice of Centering Prayer, by David J. Muyskens. The book is available through Amazon.com or you can use the sign up sheet in this newsletter and we will order a copy for you.