As we begin Lent

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is that season where we as Christians spend extra time in prayer and reflection. We take time to reflect on our own mortality, our need for God's grace, and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the areas in our life that need to either be removed or grow as we continue our walk with Jesus. We spend time in prayer and fasting and doing good deeds to open ourselves up to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. This year at Edgemont, we are seeking the Spirit’s guidance in particular ways. In our Ash Wednesday service last night (https://youtu.be/DdXTG76Rjq8), I discussed the concept of mental models. A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. That in and of itself is not a bad thing. The problem arises when we baptize a particular mental model to make it the “right way” or the “only way” to do something. Particularly for us as Christians. We have seen this in the arguments in the church over music, service times, carpet preferences; the list could go on. Mental models can keep us stuck.

Lent, however, offers us an opportunity to get unstuck. 1 John 1:7-9 tells us,

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

As we seek to walk in the light of Jesus, God will show us the ways for us to be better followers. We have the opportunity to get to know ourselves, the things that trip us up, the habits that can keep us from progressing, the things that we hold tightly that need to be let go. Over the next six weeks, we will be discussing the way that our Vibe, Values, and Vision, both individually and as a church, affect the offering we present to God and the way we are serving the world. Please join with us in praying for the Holy Spirit to reveal in us the truth behind each of these three V’s and that in doing so, we will receive a new vision for how God wants us to worship and minister with one another and to our world.