First Presbyterian Church of West Seneca

Dear Friends,

As we approach February I begin to consider the season of Lent. The word comes from the old English word, lente, which meant “spring” or literally, the “lengthening” of daylight. Again, this is applicable to the northern hemisphere.

Lent to Christianity has parallels to ancient Hebrew traditions of keeping certain feasts, or pilgrimages to Jerusalem or other places for renewal. In the Muslim tradition it is “Ramadan” a season of fasting and renewal in spiritual awareness. In sports it is called “training camp.” Beside the season of Lent, Christians created the season of Advent often thought of as a “little Lent” until shopping and partying took over!

Obviously, with loss of faith in our time, such seasons as Lent have lost importance and practice. Richard Smoley writes the loss of faith as the “one central theme of the past century,” (Inner Christianity, 2002). Be that as it may, First Presbyterian will participate with some Lenten preparation this year. We’ll begin on Wednesday evening, February 22nd, 7:30 p.m. with what is called the “Ash Wednesday” service. I will conduct it and as you have in the past include the “Imposition of Ashes” which is a visible reminder that our essence is not our bodies but our Spirit, connected with the Eternal Creator called God, Father, etc.

We will also join with area community churches on this journey, celebrating this year the theme of “Being Changed by Christ.” On March 7 First Presbyterian will host the service to our surrounding friends. You will also be invited to attend the other services each week leading up to Easter Sunday.

I also invite you to renew your spiritual awareness by practicing disciplined times of prayer and meditation. Many or most of you perhaps already have such practices. In not, simply set a specific time each day to read some scriptures, meditate on their meanings for you, sit in silence to hear and experience the “Presence” and practice acts of love and kindness toward others. If you would like to be paired with a “prayer partner,” I invite you to place your name in a container with others. You then can draw out a name on Ash Wednesday in the making of a commitment to remember this person each day in prayer.

With the arrival of Easter on April 8th, may we all experience a resurgence of the sense of God’s Presence within us all. As I have said, Easter Resurrection is the deep awakening from the sleep of despair into the glorious light of Eternal Life, with us now and forever more!

May peace, love, and joy thus be upon and in your awareness each day, and deepened along the road of Lent.