We are quickly approaching Easter and are almost finished with the season of Lent. We are taking a moment to hear from our staff about how Lent impacts their lives.
Rev. Dr. John Fullerton, Senior Pastor
“I value the season of Lent. During these weeks, I think more than at other times of my identity in Christ, the specifics of my sin, and the hope of the Resurrection. It is even better knowing that we do this as a church and with Christians everywhere.”
Andrea Merritt, Director of Finance and Administration
“I grew up in the Lutheran church, and we always celebrated Lent. I remember one time in high school, my best friend and I gave up soda. We loved Cherry Coke, and so we stayed up until midnight on Easter to drink our Cherry Coke. It was so underwhelming and disappointing. I didn’t taste nearly as good as we thought it would.
A couple of years ago, Rebecca Mihm preached at the Ash Wednesday service, and she talked about how Lent isn’t just about sacrifice. She encouraged the congregation to join a daily prayer group, start a new devotional, or give something up, but in general, to focus on their relationship with Christ.
That sermon shifted my mindset around the Lenten season, and I started trying different things. This year, we are doing a family devotional called ‘Lent Adventures.’ The kids are enjoying it, and Nolan is able to use his new bible that he received from the Third Grade Bible Class to practice looking up the scriptures. There’s an activity a day which keeps the kids engaged.”
Jo Ahearn, Executive Assistant
“The season of Lent seems to prompt me to be more focused on Jesus and how he sacrificed his life for me. I love potato chips, so I don’t eat them for 40 days in celebrating the Lenten season.”
Shawn Clark, Maintenance Technician
“My life as a child was complete chaos. This time of year is pretty special to me, just knowing where I came from as a child to now sharing God with my children. My life and their lives are completely different. When they wake up and are excited to go to church, the seed is planted.”
Seth Lail, Director of Student Ministries
“For me, Lent is a reminder of how limited I am and how unlimited God is. It’s a great chance to incarnate with Jesus (granted on a much smaller scale). He fasted for 40 days in the desert, and we get the chance to relate to that by fasting from something and replacing it with another that brings us closer to God.
Personally, I love to use Lent as an opportunity to build healthy habits that stir my affection for God. For example, in years past, I’ve given up Twitter and replaced it with a more dedicated time in the Word, which later turned into me deleting the app altogether. Lent doesn’t have to end. It’s something we can take with us the rest of our lives. This year, I’ve replaced the time in the evening when I would normally spend vegging out on YouTube videos with watching ‘The Chosen.’
This year, Surrender Youth had an Ash Wednesday service in the chapel, and we challenged students to replace something life stealing with something life encouraging. After they made their choices, we had each student pair up with an accountability partner to encourage each other throughout the 40 days to stick with it. We also gave each student a bracelet with a Bible verse on it as a visual reminder throughout their day of why they’re doing this.”
Dr. Paul Suich, Parish Counselor
“Lent for me is an invitation to consider both the reality of my need and the loving-kindness of God toward me. Spending 40 days on one topic gives me a chance to go deep – the depths of the reality of my sin are not the part I look forward to; it is the being fully known and fully loved; it is knowing that anything that annoys me has already been forgiven by God. I have done everything that challenges and annoys me, and I am forgiven. This fuels my capacity to love my neighbor and my neighborhood as myself.”
As Lent draws to a close during Holy Week, we invite you to attend all of our Holy Week services.