Reset

Dear Cathedral Family,

In our bishop’s sermon here on Ash Wednesday, he invited us to keep a holy Lent as a “reset” from those ways of living that keep us “frozen” or sluggish in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Like our digital devices, over time we build up the need to unplug, restart, reset so that we are ready to do the things God calls us to do. Lent is the season set aside in the Church for doing so.

The Gospel reading for this first Sunday in Lent focuses on Jesus’ time of temptation in the wilderness after his baptism. His forty days of fasting and prayer and the temptations that followed were a time of intense preparation, strength training, for the mission and ministry that lay ahead. It was a time of silence and focus and coming to grips with the humanity he shares with us and with the mission God had given him.  His experience sets the pattern for our own Lenten practice.

The annual observance of a holy Lent is your opportunity to unplug from the things that distract you from your connection to God; it is an invitation to renew, refresh, restart practices that strengthen you to be a follower of Christ. In this email, in a separate Lenten email, and on our website, you will find resources for you and your family to use in your daily lives.

One new opportunity this year will be Monday Morning Prayer, meeting every Monday morning through Holy Week in the chapel at 8:30 a.m. This will be a quiet, brief service of scripture and prayer to begin each week. I hope that you will give it a try.

Lent is a gift and a privilege—an offering of the chance each day to be free of distraction and to focus on God’s loving care and plan for us and for all creation. I look forward to walking with you through this season.

Faithfully,

Beverly+