Bri f T esday
February
General Superintendent
Max Edwards & Judy
Lent: A Season for and Clarity
In the Western Church, Lent officially began on Ash Wednesday, February 18 . Its observance and the applying of ashes to the forehead of the worshipper is meant as a call to humilty and a reminder of our human frailty and mortality. I know of at least two of our EMC pastors who preached sermons about the season of Lent this past weekend.
Lent is most often associated with fasting from something, that is, voluntarily giving up a particular food, luxury, or some sort of pastime. But seen in its clearest light, Lent is more than just a season of self-denial; it should be a recalibration. Lent comes to remind us of the need to routinely re-orient ourselves to our Savior, yes, in His suffering and sacrifice, but also in His earnest desire to be in communion with the Father.
A Time to Recalibrate
The church embraces the 40-day Lenten journey as an invitation to strip away the noise of our daily lives to hear the "still, small voice" that is so easily muffled by our modern comforts. Without a doubt, the true beauty of Lent lies in the melding of self-denial and prayer. is the act of creating space. When we fast from a favorite food or silence the constant hum of social media, we aren't just practicing willpower; we are proving to ourselves that our "necessities" are often just distractions. By intentionally creating a vacuum, we acknowledge a hunger that physical things cannot satisfy.
However, if we only practice self-denial, we are left with an empty house. This is where PRAYER becomes essential. Prayer fills the space we’ve cleared. It transforms our abstinence from a mere diet or a digital detox into a conversation. In the quiet of our self-imposed desert, prayer becomes more honest. We stop asking for things and start asking for Him.
Through this dual practice, we realize that Lent isn't a season of punishment, but of preparation. As we sharpen our spiritual vision, we ensure that when the joy of Easter morning arrives, we have the eyes to truly see it.
A Note About General Conference | July 21-24, 2026 .
On another note of prayer and preparation, we will be inviting everyone to spend 40 days in prayer for our upcoming General Conference in July. Starting June 11, we will share a daily prayer focus – just a sentence to encourage prayer for the People, the Place, the Priorities, and the Proceedings of the 34th General Conference, asking for God’s blessing and presence. Look for more information about that in the coming weeks.