Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When anything electronic is acting up, what is the first thing you should always try?  Your best bet is usually to turn it off, unplug it, and start it back up again.  More often than not, that simple restart is all you need to do to get everything back up and running properly.

Do you ever wish that your life had a restart button?  That you could just shut everything down, unplug, and start again anew?

That sort of restart is exactly what Lent offers, the opportunity to shut down all the tabs, close all the pages, clear the error messages, and start over again fresh.

The great reboot starts on Ash Wednesday.  Right from the start you are marked with ashes.  You are marked for death with the sign of the cross.  The plug is pulled.

Throughout Lent, our focus is on the cross of Christ.  The cross is a symbol of death.  There at the cross Jesus was put to death along with all your sin, all your guilt, all your shame.

Jesus’ death sets you free from all of these so that you can start anew, start fresh again, putting to death your sin through confession.  Putting to death your greed through sacrificial giving.  Putting to death your self-reliance through prayer.  Putting to death your love of excess and indulgence through fasting. 

Jesus puts you to death so that He can raise you again to new life with Him.  He does not leave you unplugged and turned off, but plugs you into His life, His love, His grace as He forgives your sins and feeds you with His body and blood.

During this Holy Season of Lent, put to death anything that would distract you or keep you from following Jesus all the way to the cross and ultimately to the empty tomb and paradise restored.

It’s time to pull the plug on your old life.  It’s time to start over new.  It’s time to die with Christ and rise to new life with Him.

You can’t do that on your own, so that’s why the Lord has given you a congregation, a church family. Be there for them and let them be there for you. 

Sundays are top priority each and every week to receive the body of Christ at the altar, making us the body of Christ as we are joined to Him and to each other.  In Lent you have the further opportunity for prayer, confession, and a simple fellowship meal on Wednesdays.  Use this time to unplug from the chaos and ugliness of the world, and to plug into the beauty and life of Christ.

Yes, you can have a restart in life.  That’s what Lent is for.

In Christ,
Pastor