Rev. Stephanie Backus

Faithful friends,

The Lenten season is upon us! I love this season because it teaches me so much about what God wants me to be as a Christian. We are taught patience - it is a season of waiting. Like Advent, we are waiting for something spectacular to happen, but we have to wait two extra weeks for it! This is a sign that our faith is maturing. In Advent, we wait just four weeks for the birth of Christ, and we are reminded of the joy of waiting for Christmas morning from our childhood. In Lent, we are growing as disciples, and we wait two more weeks for resurrection morning to come. Advent is much more about the anticipation of what is to come. Lent is about the journey to get there. That journey is paved with temptation - temptation to make it about us and what we’re giving up, temptation to test God and temptation to the power of the world. Those temptations are hard to resist. When they come, think about Christ’s time in the wilderness. Think about how he rejected those same temptations, and instead think about everything that God gives us when we’re in times of wilderness and temptation. God provides clarity and freedom from power. God provides dependence, and most of all, God provides care. When Jeremiah and his fellow Judeans are exiled to Babylon, God does not abandon them, but instead tells them to build houses there, to get married and have children, and when the time comes, God will bring them back. “For I know the plans I have for you. Not to harm you, but to prosper you.” (Jeremiah 29:11) God is always there and always has a plan for us. So in this season of waiting, growing in discipleship, and facing temptations, know that God is with you. God was with you from the very beginning, and you don’t walk this journey alone. Christ is beside you, walking the road to Jerusalem. You are loved by God. You are accompanied by Christ. You are powered by the Holy Spirit. And thanks be to God for that.

Peace,

Pastor Stephanie Backus

Stephanie.backus@gmail.com 573-418-2123