Choices | Monday Mornings

By Pastor Sandy Liddell

Lent 1: Our Focus is Choices

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent. 

Lent is a time when church folk focus on preparing their hearts, their spirits for the celebration of Easter. 

For long years people gave up rich food, meat, eggs, milk, sugar during this time of preparation.  Many give up desserts, chocolate, wine. 

In recent years some people have tried to give up practices that hurt others, criticizing others, belittling, bullying. 

One year a church I served decided instead of giving up something, to do something extra for other people.  People wrote notes to friends they hadn't heard from in a while, they baked cookies and bread, they finally made that phone call to their dear friend who they had been meaning to call for months, they had neighbors over for cake and coffee.

This year our focus for Lent at MUMC is CHOICES, about making choices. Choices that will make our interior lives richer, that will align our lives with God's intentions for the world that God loves so much, that will help us become the people God has created us to be. 

Perhaps folks will want to spend some time in quietness, in prayer. 

Some might want to focus on trying to be kinder, or braver...to stand up for people in trouble. 

Some may decide to share more of their resources with those who are needy.  Some may want to plant a tree…or ten trees. 

Some may decide to set aside time to read, to write in their journal, to think about where their life is heading, just to sit in God's presence and be…for a while…to laugh with God, to weep with God.

Choices…

Forty days to think about the choices we have made, the ones we are making right now, at this very moment (not to choose is a choice as well), choices we are going to make....soon, or someday.

Join us.  Sunday mornings at 10:30 to worship together, to think, to pray, to be in God's presence with others who are also pondering the meaning of their lives.