Lent is a time in the Christian calendar year during the 40 days (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter where people fast and prepare their hearts to celebrate Easter. It tends not to be practiced in many Evangelical churches anymore, but I actually think it’s a good practice of preparation. So I encourage you to take some extra time, beginning on March 6th to focus on Jesus and prepare your heart… but I’d like for us to do it a bit different. Let me explain.
In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment in the Old Testament law was. Jesus says it’s to love God and that the second greatest commandment is to love your neighbour. In John 13:34-45 Jesus gives His followers a New Command that takes the place of, and fulfills, all the others – to love each other as He has loved us and that as we do this it will prove to the world that we are followers of Jesus. First Jesus links love for God with love for others, then He links love for one another (other followers of Jesus) with others too.
Here’s how I’d like Lent to be different for us. Lent is typically a time to look in and up… to look inwards at ourselves as we look up and consider our relationship with God. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact we need lots of time alone with God where we listen to Him and learn to follow Him. But too often we forget to look OUT! Out at our neighbours, family, and friends who God loves and have needs and lives and value too.
So this Lent I would like us to put others before ourselves. That as we choose practices like a bible reading plan, fasting, or journaling to prepare ourselves that we would consider others too and how this can also be a season of blessing. Of living out the what we are reading and praying, opening our homes and lives, serving and blessing others, and inviting others to Easter services to journey with us. That we would do as Paul encouraged the Philippian church “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” Philippians 2:4 NLT
Look OUTward this Lent. Keep an eye out for resources at Country Hills Church leading up to Lent to help you do this.
