Celebrating Lent

My wife and daughter are “Celebrations People.” God has truly blessed me through both of them.
Ruth and Joy plan for holidays, birthdays and other life events. They plan decorations. They think about special meals and parties and all kinds of things that make special times even more special.
The rituals of life are extremely important. They remind us the values that give our lives meaning and purpose. They build an unconscious link of habit that connects us with our families, our nation and all humanity. The links connect us even when we are not consciously aware of the role they play in our lives.
The seasons of the Christian Year serve exactly that same function in our faith journeys. Whether we actually study them or not, when the church celebrates them we get reconnected to the heritage of the faith community.
We are approaching that season of the Christian year called Lent. It is the 40 days prior to Easter, except for the Sundays. (No, I do not know why the Sundays are not counted.) In the “free church” tradition of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), celebrating Lent is a fairly recent practice. We have discovered Lent in the rich experiences of other Christian traditions. Seeing its value, we have made it part of our own tradition.
Lent is supposed to be a season of Fasting. It focuses the Christian community of the church upon our need for God and upon those things within ourselves that block us from the relationship with God we so strongly yearn to have. It prepares us for Easter and the glorious gift of love God sent us in Jesus Christ. Lent invites us to examine our own lives in the light of Jesus teachings, and consider better ways to follow Him.
Through doing without, fasting reminds us that God should be our center. Fasting helps put things in a new perspective, helps us abandon bad habits, and helps us appreciate the value of good ones.
The celebration of Lent at Ankeny Christian Church will involve a number of special things: The Ash Wednesday Service, Wednesday Evening Bible Studies, Dramatic presentations in Worship, Palm Sunday Celebrations, Maundy Thursday worship, and more.
You are welcome to participate in each event.