As the dust of Advent, Epiphany and the ensuing Ordinary time of the Christian calendar settles, we prepare our hearts for the season of Lent. I find myself reflecting on the profound beauty of the “wilderness”.

Often, we view Lent as a season of “giving up” —a period of religious grit and self-denial. But the forty days of Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday, February 18, are not intended to be a test of will-power; they are a gift of holy recalibration. They are an invitation to step away from the noise of a crowded world and rediscover the voice of the One who calls us “Beloved.”

The Call to the Wilderness: In the Gospel accounts, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. Yes, it was a place of hunger and temptation, but it was also a place of singular focus.

In our modern lives, we are rarely “hungry” for information or distraction, yet we are often starving for presence. Lent asks us to create an intentional void so that God might fill it. Whether you are fasting from a specific food, a digital habit, or a spirit of busyness, remember the goal: we empty ourselves not to stay empty, but to make room for the One who calls us “Beloved.”

The Lenten Pillars

During the Lenten season, I invite our congregation to lean into the three traditional pillars of Lenten devotion, viewed through a lens of grace:

•  Prayer: Not as duty, but as dialogue. Find five minutes of physical and mental silence daily. Let God look inside you.

•  Fasting: Not as a diet, but as a “remembering.” When you feel the pang of that given up, let it be a prompt to pray for those whose pangs are real and not choice.

• Almsgiving: Not as a tax, but as an overflow. Let the resources (time or money) you save through fasting be directed toward the vulnerable in our community.

A Journey Toward the Light

In Lent, we must remember that as we walk toward Jerusalem with Christ, we do not walk toward a tomb, but through one. The ashes we received at the start of this journey on Ash Wednesday are a reminder of our mortality, but they are applied in the shape of a cross—the ultimate sign of victory.

I encourage you: do not be afraid of quiet. Do not be discouraged if you stumble in your Lenten disciplines. God is not looking for perfection; God is looking for the contrition found within an open heart.

May this season be for you a time of refreshment, a time of shedding what is heavy, and a time of drawing nearer to the heart of the Father.

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Peace and every good,

Rev. Colby Smith