O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
-Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Do you find that your heart frequently tends to wander from God? If your answer is “yes,” then you are not alone. Thankfully, to help this tendency to pull away, we have some meaningful ways for you to step closer and to engage God with our faith community during the season of Lent. Lent is the season of self-reflection, confession, and prayer leading up to Holy Week and Easter.
It is an annual FPC tradition to celebrate together the night before Lent begins by sharing a pancake supper on what is known as Shrove Tuesday. At this dinner in Fellowship Hall, people of all ages gather to celebrate joyfully making crafts while enjoying a delicious meal; ever mindful that the next day begins the more reflective season of Lent.
The next day, on Ash Wednesday, we will gather again in the evening in Fellowship Hall, but this time for worship with the imposition of ashes and sharing the Lord’s Supper. In this service, we are reminded of our sinfulness and our complete reliance upon God for forgiveness and mercy using the words, “you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
As we journey through Lent, you may decide to draw closer to God by giving up something you enjoy – making a small sacrifice to be reminded of the immense sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf by giving his life for us. Or you may decide to add something positive to your days during Lent – like reading the Bible, or praying at a certain time, or offering a small kindness to someone every day. It is really up to you and God to decide together what spiritual or tangible action might keep you mindful and help bring you closer during Lent.
Wandering Hearts is a Lenten booklet of poetry, art, scripture, reflections, readings, and questions to work through to spark something new and deepen your spiritual life. You may choose to add this as daily reading this year. Using it as our guide for study, worship, and preaching during Lent, we will follow the life of one of the most relatable of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter. As you may remember, Peter’s walk of faith had high and low points as he grew in confidence and then sunk back into fear and doubt. And Jesus loved and consistently worked with Peter despite his sometimes-shaky faith.
You are invited to pick up a copy of the Wandering Hearts devotional booklet at the church to learn more about Peter’s journey alongside Jesus, see if you can relate to his struggles, and grow in understanding of your own call to discipleship.
We hope to see you in worship during the Lenten season as we spend these six weeks preparing to remember Jesus’ final week on earth during Holy Week, culminating in the joy of Easter morning!
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Amy