Today's Lectionary TextDeuteronomy 6:5“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” Today's Devotional
There is something different about this season of Lent. Is it the fact I gave up beef instead of Facebook (I may have broken that at the airport; not sure what was in that sandwich, but I had limited options)? Is it that I am finishing my studies for my Master of Divinity in two months? Maybe it is because I am hoping to be a pastor after seminary? Or is it that like many, I have been experiencing drastic changes in this last week and cannot simply go on with life as usual? There is something indeed different about this season of Lent!
One of my favorite qualities about myself is that I have a deep passion for practicing spiritual disciplines. I began spending more intentional time with God through the spiritual disciplines two years ago as a result of my Christian Spirituality course at Garrett. Since then, I have practiced disciplines such as reading four chapters of the Bible daily, tithing financially, praying a minimum of three times daily, fasting weekly, reading multiple devotions and Bible studies, fellowshipping in a collective community, practicing the Sabbath, partaking in communion regularly, leading and participating in a covenant group, and journaling the ways I have seen God active in the world. I have learned that this has been a crucial time in the world to not ease up on my practices. I have found that social isolation has given me more time with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I reflect both verbally and through journaling, I have found that I bounce between the writing styles of a psalmist and a lamenter. Some days, I praise the Lord with physical shouts of adoration and, on other days, I wonder why we must experience so much pain and suffering. It was revealed to me that I still must practice what I preach by praising and thanking the Lord for all He has done in my life yet, at the same time, I also grieve the many losses we are facing as a world and as a church. This is the season of Lent, there is something different about it, yet Christ is still Lord, and I still have hope in his life, death, resurrection, and coming return. Prayer for ReflectionSovereign God, Thank you for this season of intentional time with you. Even amidst an epidemic, help us to love you and our neighbors as ourselves.
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