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Hi everyone! I hope you’re keeping warm and having a great week.

What a wonderful time we had together this past Sunday, praising God, learning, and fellowshipping with each other—during our worship service and afterwards! A big thank-you again to everyone, especially to the folks from our Chinese ministry who did such a beautiful job of decorating, preparing food, and allowing us all to share a little bit in the joy of their New Year celebration. It was a delightful time. I hope that all of you who are continuing with New Year traditions that began officially yesterday will have a joy-filled time with friends and family as you mark this special season.

It really is fun to be part of a church that so clearly reflects the diverse cultures of our North Shore community. We’re all enriched as we grow in our appreciation of one another’s background and traditions. There are many opportunities to learn new things, to see from new perspectives, and to grow together. Sometimes our different traditions bump up against each other, but even that is part of the “iron sharpens iron” process that makes us all better.

As I was thinking about this week’s newsletter this morning, it occurred to me that this year our traditions bump up against one another in an interesting way. For our brothers and sisters from China and other Asian countries, this is a week for feasting! As it happens, in older Christian traditions, this is also Ash Wednesday—the day that marks the beginning of Lent, which is thought of as a time of fasting and self-denial. How ironic, eh?

(For those who are new to such things: on the old “liturgical” or formal church calendar, it was traditional to spend a period of about 40 days before easter practicing various forms of self-denial. [The 40 days reflected Jesus’ time of fasting in the wilderness, and the 40 years Israel spent in the desert, though the actual number of days leading up to Easter is a little more than that.] People would refrain from eating meat or certain foods, dedicate extra time to prayer, and do other things that reflect humility and repentance, remembering that our sin is what made it necessary for Jesus to die for us. Many people will choose to give up something from ordinary life—coffee, ice cream, TV, etc.—during Lent as a sign of their devotion. They see this as helping to create anticipation for Easter, when the fast is broken, and sadness turns to celebration. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, often marked by special services and by a ceremony in which ash is spread on a person’s forehead in the shape of a cross.)

Like other parts of the traditional church calendar, Lent is sometimes a source of tension even between different Christians. Ash Wednesday and Lent are normal, expected practices in the more formal church groups (such as Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, or Eastern Orthodox). Some Protestant groups have distanced themselves from the old church calendar because they viewed it as too often becoming a form of lifeless religion, so they just pay little attention to Lent. (This is true of “Reformed” churches and lots of other less formal groups, including many Baptists.) 

These days, I see plenty of variety in such matters. Traditional churches seem to be quicker to acknowledge that Lent is a helpful discipline, not an essential part of spiritual life. Less traditional churches seem more open to Ash Wednesday and Lenten events, in an effort to appreciate our deeper roots without becoming legalistic about them. Perhaps that’s a good trend.

Some of you will have noticed that WVBC didn’t plan an Ash Wednesday service this year. This isn’t something we decided on the basis of some principle. It’s partly a reflection of our own Baptist history and culture, in which the old church calendar is recognized and appreciated but not followed all the time. (We don’t choose our weekly readings or sermons out of a prayer book, though we sometimes make reference to the liturgical tradition when it seems appropriate.) Things also partly happened that way because no one felt prompted to plan an Ash Wednesday service, and nobody asked us for one. Perhaps we’ll do one in the future if there’s interest. If it’s something you value, don’t be shy about mentioning it to one of our staff team.

As many of you know from past conversations, I’m personally of 2 minds on such things. On the one side, I try to let my spiritual life be guided primarily by Scripture rather than by tradition. I know that what God cares about most is our hearts, not the ceremonies we perform on certain days. On the other side, I understand the value of symbols and regular practices that help me to remember and focus on key spiritual truths. So, I’m OK not mixing up a bowl of ashes and painting them on people’s heads this evening. At the same time, I understand the value of fasting and setting aside time to prepare my heart for Good Friday and for Easter. I try to balance these in a helpful way each year.

Anyway, we’ll celebrate different traditions this week. Some of us will feast, and that’s great! May your feasts be joyful times to express thanks to God for last year and trust for the year to come. Some of us may fast and look for ways to express our repentance. That’s great too. May all of our hearts be stirred by the love of God for us, the depth of our need and the wonder of His grace as we anticipate Easter in 6 weeks. 

We’re a diverse group, and that’s a good thing. May our unity-in-diversity always reflect the creativity of our Lord and the oneness we share in His Spirit!

On a different note, this week and for the next few weeks, we’re going to do a short sermon series in the book of Philemon. So, if you’re reading ahead this week, go ahead and read the whole thing. It’s only 25 verses!

Richest blessings, and we’ll see you soon!
—Pastor Ken