“We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”
― Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła)
Today I have breaking news from the world of, “Time moves too quickly,” and “I had no idea it was already almost February.” With Ash Wednesday then Lent just around the corner, this is a good time to order my series of Lenten meditations, “Reaching Toward Easter.”
Last year I had the privilege of speaking for the annual “Lenten Lectures” series at Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church. This year you can join me on the dusty road to Jerusalem by reading the book!
Gotta have a plan!
One of my most persistent themes in teaching and writing about engaging spiritual life is that of intentionality. It’s the idea that we seldom arrive anywhere without following an actionable plan.
Rebekah and I never would have experienced Krakow, for example, had we not chosen our dates, purchased tickets, rented our Airbnb, made sure all our documents were in order, become familiar with the city so we knew what we would be looking at and then actually showed up at the airport to board the initial flight.
That may sound a little silly, but it turns out that many people approach spirituality with little more in the way of a plan than something like, “I hope it’s a meaningful Easter this year.” Good grief, if all Rebekah and I had done was to say, “We sure hope to get to Krakow this year…” we would have missed it altogether!
Invitation from me:
So I would like to extend this invitation to take a few positive steps, plot your itinerary, and make this year’s observation of Lent (the “40-days” between Ash Wednesday and Easter) one of engaging the journey to Jerusalem in the company of Jesus.
My collection of meditations is called “Reaching Toward Easter” because we want Palm Sunday and Holy week to be an intentional destination rather than something we run into more by chance than design.
So here is my suggested plan:
- Purchase the book now (or another Lenten study) “Reaching Toward Easter.“
- Read one short meditation each day, beginning with Shrove Tuesday (February 17).
- Set aside Sunday mornings on your calendar and attend community worship every week.
- Begin each day with a sincere prayer, asking to receive God’s gracious purpose, Christ’s hope-filled promise and the Spirit’s nurturing peace during your journey to Easter.
Easter is too important to approach without purpose, without a plan and without a faith community to journey with along the way – DEREK
PS – the book also includes a study guide at the end. Perfect for a Sunday-school class or a small group.