Greetings from the Lay Leader's Corner
Welcome March, a pivotal month of the year. We are turning from short days to longer days, Winter to Spring, and from Ordinary Time to Lent. As there is more daylight, we tend to get more active and perhaps seem to have more energy to get things done. It is Spring cleaning time of year.
Now there are more warm days when 40's and 50's feel like a heat wave, and the snowbanks shrink as the days go by. We look forward to green grass and the first robins of the year. Ash Wednesday reminds us Easter is on the horizon, but we have forty days of contemplation and reflection to prepare ourselves.
At RCUMC some will be participating in the Sunday Bible study of Romans 8 by sharing and discussing Mark Batterson's book “If,” Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities” as part of their preparation for Easter. There are other ways to use the time of Lent to prepare yourself for the most important celebration in the life of every Christian.
The topic of conversation for a lot of folks this time of year is often “what are you giving up for lent.” That usually entails eliminating something from our diet or the cessation of a perceived “bad habit”. A bit of a twist to that mind set might be to determine what you could “pick up” for Lent. What could you start doing or increase doing to better prepare you spiritually for Easter? Especially if that something could continue beyond Easter to change the rest of your life and the lives of those around you.
We have been given the commission to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.” What better opportunity to lean into that commission than this time of Lent? Getting more involved in the various activities and teams at RCUMC can be a start. But God gives each of us numerous possibilities everywhere in our lives to serve him by serving others in his name. Look around, use that springtime energy to exercise those muscles (physical and spiritual) that may have been dormant for a while. Easter is on the horizon, prepare yourself.
Peace be with you.
Your lay leader,
Timothy Locker, Sr.