Lent, the season of the Christian Year that is observed as a time of simple living, prayer and fasting leading up to Easter, begins today! Many spend the time in self-examination and reflection as modeled by Jesus in Matthew 4: 1-11 where he prayed and fasted for 40 days before beginning his ministry.
What happened during those 40 days of fasting and praying in the wilderness? Our friends at the Upper Room say that maybe Jesus needed some time with God to sort through the major changes happening in his life. Maybe he needed a break from family, friends and his regular routine in order to see God [and himself] more clearly. Maybe he sought more time with God as he searched for direction and answers to the question that we, too have from time to time: “What are you calling me to do, God?"
At my previous church a wonderful lady by the name of Deb Vaughn used to put together a Lenten devotional for our church to use and our church would observe this season using this devotional. I had been missing it the last few years so last year I came across reTHINK churches idea of a picture a day to help us slow down, self-examine ourselves, fast and remember. The graphic below is the challenge for this year. It's fairly simple, just use the words for each day and take a picture that best depicts that word, it can be your own picture, one you've used in the past, or something you've seen, maybe even something you have drawn or created. Place that photo on Instagram and hashtag with #rethinkchurch and #lentoverflow so we can encourage each other.
Whatever you decide to do... take the time during this season, leading up to Easter, to slow down, self-examine yourselves, fast from something and remember what Christ did for you!
