Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Are you ready?
Greetings!
It gives me great pleasure to share the Lutheran Indian Ministries 2018 Lent Devotion booklet with you.
Lent is a magnificent time to reflect on transformational change. Springtime is abundant with new beginnings and new growth. Change is everywhere we look!
Too often, however, we want to sprint right to Easter without fully embracing the Lenten season that leads us there. Lent reflects on the forty days that Jesus wandered in the wilderness and was tempted by Satan — preparing him for a ministry that is destined to end in his crucifixion and death.
Few of us can relate to the level of sacrifice, surrender, and commitment Jesus displayed during his forty days in the desert. But, Lent provides us with an opportunity to deepen our own faith by engaging in regular spiritual discipline from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday.
There is a compelling image that helps us to embrace the wilderness of the Lenten season and prevents us from taking the shortcut right to Easter. It is the image of the seed. Jesus started his teaching ministry with the parable of the sower (Matthew 13) and He often referred to seeds and plants throughout his ministry. To see the metaphor of Christian growth and spiritual development contained in a seed is to learn valuable lessons about change and transformation.
We are richly blessed by your support of Lutheran Indian Ministries. Because of you, we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, disciple others, and facilitate healing in every one of God’s seasons. Thank you.
May God bless you always,
Tim Young Eagle (Pawnee)
Executive Director