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“Who wants to grow spiritually?”

Nearly every hand in the room went up on Sunday when I asked this question. Who could sit on their hands when such a question is asked? So now, how do we grow spiritually? How do we come into a deeper and more spiritual relationship with our God?

Jesus tells us…in very specific terms. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6), Jesus tells us that we can grow deeper in trust and fellowship with God through three spiritual disciplines: Fasting, Almsgiving (giving to the poor) and Prayer. Think about these three things for a moment. Consider the genius of His simple prescription for us. He says that when we do these three things we develop such a relationship with God that anxiety flees, and we can live in peace and trust under our Father. (Hence, verse 25: “Therefore, do not be anxious…” It comes after these three injunctions, as if to say: When you practice these three things, your heart is opened to a greater trust and peace with God.) This season of Lent we are eager to experience all three of these spiritual disciplines together as a whole community.

During this Lenten season, we want to go beyond mere belief. We want to move from simple acceptance of the Christian truths into a daily, living faith that impacts every decision, every relationship and every part of who we are. Therefore I invite you to the observance of a Holy Lent.

Ash Wednesday

The season of Lent begins next week on Ash Wednesday, February 22. Please join us at 7 a.m., noon, or 7 p.m. for service and imposition of ashes. This is also a traditional day of fasting.

Three Disciplines for Lent

In the video below, Fr. Jason Bowman and I explain the details of the three Lenten disciplines we will practice as a congregation.

Fasting

There are three days we ask you to join us in fasting: February 22 (Ash Wednesday), March 19 and April 6 (Good Friday). Fasting reminds us of our own finiteness, our emptiness before God and makes clear in our spirit the words that will be spoken as ashes are placed upon our foreheads on Ash Wednesday: Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Through fasting, God underscores what we are often slow to realize: we are creatures of the earth, made in the image of God, but completely dependent upon Him for our sustenance.

Almsgiving

Alms are offerings to the poor with no expectation of external reward, acknowledgment or return. It is a total act of letting go so that another’s life can be improved or blessed without any expectation that we would get anything in return from that person. In fact, no one other than God should even know we are giving. Jesus says that alms are to be done in secret. Alms boxes have been placed around the campus for cash collections. The funds will be divided evenly between three local ministries that serve the poor. Please remember that these donations are not tax deductible; simply an offering from the heart.

Prayer

We are providing to the congregation a Lenten prayer guide this year. The devotion covers 40 days, from Ash Wednesday to Holy Week, and will be distributed on Ash Wednesday at each service. This devotion, written by Fr. Jason Bowman, is from our Anglican tradition and can be practiced at home, at work, alone, with your spouse or with your family.

Beyond Belief Sermon Series

Also during Lent, we are preparing a sermon series, entitled Beyond Belief. Through this series of messages we will follow two men of faith who received an extraordinary call by God to a life without ordinary boundaries; a life of freedom and a life of unbridled faith. Their story brings us face-to-face with our own fears and doubts, but ultimately reveals a path of faith that can overcome. What happens when faith becomes more than belief? What happens when everything a person professes becomes everything a person lives?

 
Now, here are a few things you need to know:

Back from the Holy Land

Fran and I are thankful to have returned from the Holy Land. It was a joy-filled pilgrimage for all 30 of us. We were blessed to have the Lord’s presence everywhere we went. We all felt totally safe. The weather was amazingly wonderful (except for one rainy day), and each person came home with a sense that God had touched him or her many times along our journey. We have been eight times, and we hope to add a ninth tour about this same time next year. More information will be available soon.

Holy Land Pilgrimage 2012

Upcoming – Anglican 1000 Summit

We are blessed to welcome about 400 church leaders from all over North America, and even attendees from Africa, who will be here for a two-day summit meeting on church-planting in North America.

I invite all of you to a special evening event on Wednesday, March 7, with Archbishop Duncan as celebrant and Dr. Scot McKnight as our preacher. Scot McKnight is an evangelical New Testament scholar with a unique ability to channel cutting-edge scholarship and readable prose in dialogue with the faith and practices of the Ancient Church. I have read a few of his books, and he has a deep and rich understanding of the faith. (We have two of his books on Fasting and Prayer in the Christ Church Bookstore, which are perfect for those wanting to learn more about these key Lenten disciplines.) He has a great website. This is a big event for Christ Church, and I want you all to come. Let’s show some Texas/Christ Church hospitality to our guests and visitors that night.