March Sermon Series: “In Dust and Ashes: A Lenten Journey with Jesus”
by Nathan Parker, Senior Pastor
March 1 – Guest preacher, Scotty Smith
March 8 – “Fruit in Keeping with Repentance,” Matthew 3:1-8
March 15 – “Into the Wilderness,” Matthew 4:1-11
March 22 – “Treasures in Heaven,” Matthew 6:1-6; 16-21
March 29 – “His Face Shone Like the Sun,” Matthew 17:1-9
March Sermon Series: “In Dust and Ashes: A Lenten Journey with Jesus”
One of the great things about being Baptist is that we are free to reach back and borrow from the treasures of the liturgical church calendar without being constrained by it. The Christian tradition is much richer and deeper and broader than any one denomination. In the last few decades many
Evangelical churches have begun to recover some of these meaningful traditions and seasons such as Advent and Lent. This month we join with millions of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who observe the Lenten season. I always feel that when we utilize the church calendar, it unites us as one body with the Church universal throughout time and space even.
Easter has always been the most significant Christian holiday, the holiest day on our calendar. Relatively recently in the West, Christmas has become more prominent due to the cultural and commercial appeal of it. Early Christians, however, saw the need to set aside a time of reflection and sacrifice in order to adequately prepare themselves for this massive day of celebration.
Eventually this season of preparation became to be known as “Lent,” and it lasts for forty days (it’s technically forty-six days, but that includes six Sundays which are days of celebration and worship). The word “Lent” comes from the Old English word “lengten,” which simply means “spring” — when the days lengthen and new life springs forth. It is a time in which we anticipate the victory of the light and life of Christ over the darkness of sin and death that comes at Easter. The idea of forty days comes from Scripture – forty days and nights of rain in the flood in Genesis, forty years of wandering in the desert for the Israelites, and most importantly, Jesus’ forty days of testing in the wilderness where he fasted and prepared for his earthly ministry.
Ash Wednesday (Feb. 26) was the first day of Lent. Now we are heading towards Easter (Apr. 12) and the resurrection, and as we approach that glorious day, it’s appropriate for us to have a season of preparation, and often fasting is a part of that. Many people choose to give something up for Lent, like desserts, or coffee, or social media or Netflix. Maybe you want to take on something this Lenten season, like daily Bible reading, or an hour of prayer and meditation each day. I hope you will all prayerfully consider how you can enter into a season of spiritual growth and preparation. I pray that we will all engage in honest reflection, confession, and repentance as we seek to return to the Lord with all of our hearts – both individually with whatever you may need to confess, and corporately. I pray that throughout this month, we as a church will experience the healing grace of God that comes through repentance.
Grace and peace,
