Lent: A Time of Pruning and Abiding

We are fast approaching the Lenten season, which starts on February 18th this year, Ash Wednesday.  Lent begins a time of prayer and reflection before my favorite day in the liturgical calendar year: Easter!  Since worshiping in the Anglican tradition, the Lenten season, combined with Easter, has become one of the most meaningful times of year for my own spiritual growth. 

Lent is a time of repentance and pruning.  I’m not necessarily talking about pruning sugar, or alcohol, or “giving something up for Lent”, although this may be helpful for you.  This pruning is of inward affections toward anything that distracts us from the goodness and completeness of God.  Sometimes we need to prune, or be pruned, in order to make space for what God wants to do in our life.

Everyone is pruned;  John 15 tells us as much.  Whether you are producing fruit or not, you are pruned!

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15: 1-2)

Pruning doesn’t necessarily have to be painful. Often it’s as pleasurable and relieving as taking off a heavy backpack after a long walk.  Sometimes God prunes our branches because we need margin and space to produce more fruit.  Every year when I prune back my rose bushes it feels like I’m doing something harmful to the plant, but each year I’m rewarded with beautiful flowers, more full and bright than if they had not been cut.

Lent is a time for pruning and making margin in your spiritual life.  

Pruning an activity that takes time in your day is a great choice for “giving something up”.  This could be not watching TV at night, limiting social media scrolling, not reading the news, or fasting a meal.  Pruning an activity like this gives more time to pray.  This practical moving around blocks of time is a good way to prune your life and make time and margin for spiritual activities such as praying the daily office, meditation, and scripture reading.  This gives us time to truly abide in Christ.

John 15 reminds us to: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:4-5)

Abiding is an unhurried time with God.  

We are going to have an opportunity for you to do just that this Lent through a 7-week Lenten Class, Wednesday nights 6:30 -7:30 pm (Feb 18-April 1)  Lent is a time to prepare our hearts for the Easter season.  We will embark on the season of Lent by walking with Jesus into the wilderness, and introducing the Desert Fathers and Mothers; our companions on this journey. Together we will fix our eyes on Jesus, so that we might approach Easter with a heart of prayerful pursuit.  

The class will be held in-person AND online, so everyone can participate no matter where you live.  If you receive this email and live outside metro Detroit, feel free to zoom in online.  We would be honored if you did. 

The class will also include daily readings on an app called “Lectio 365”.  These daily lessons will give opportunity to pause and pray throughout the day, if you can.  On Feb 18, the introduction class will be held at 6pm (only 45 min) before the Ash Wednesday service at 7pm. (Still online and in person).  If you are with us in person we will walk upstairs and receive ashes together as a start to the Lenten season. 

To sign up, simply reply to this email and I’ll make sure you get the weekly zoom link, and material downloads. We will be using an online downloadable curriculum found at lectio365.com/desertresources.  

Please consider this opportunity to spend the season of Lent pruning so that you can grow.  We hope to see you there either online or in-person!

Blessings and peace,

Rev. Todd