Giving Up For More

Those of you that watch the news probably saw pictures or videos from the festivities that happened in New Orleans this past Tuesday. It was the annual Mardi Gras celebration of Fat Tuesday. Most people realize that Fat Tuesday has a connection with the ancient church practice known as Lent. Any of you from a good Catholic background either participated in Lent or had friends and family that did. If you grew up in a Protestant church or had no connection to church, Lent was likely more confusing and odd than it was spiritual.

At Silver Creek we tend to lean toward and strive to be innovative, relevant and energetic. Those aren't words that are typically used to describe Lent. So, when Silver Creek sets out each spring to tie into Lent in some fashion, it might be a bit of a surprise or confusing. In this blog, I won't take time to describe all that Lent has been over the centuries or even completely explain Silver Creek’s view of Lent. Here's a real brief description and reason for why we embrace this ancient practice. Lent provides a period of several weeks to deeply reflect on what Jesus' sacrifice on the cross means for us, typically connected with setting something aside in our lives for a time to motivate, encourage and remind us to reflect. At Silver Creek we focus more on what we're gaining through Lent, than what we are giving up.

Let me tell you briefly what we are offering this year to benefit you and help you gain something spiritually during Lent. Each week during our Sunday services, there will be a Reflection Guide that you can take home. The Reflection Guide will focus on the main theme of that Sunday's message, giving you scripture to read, thoughts to reflect on, and prayers to consider. Each week will have a new guide but each guide will be used for the entire week. In direct connection to the guide, the church will be open for Reflection Services during the week. Each service will contain times of audio and video guided prayer, scripture & reflection. It will essentially be the same content as the Reflection Guide but with the addition of community, communion, and interactive elements in a quiet, contemplative setting. The 25 minute Reflection Service will repeat itself six times during the week, three on each Monday and Friday evenings, starting on the hour and half hour from 7-8:30pm. Child care will not be provided so please plan accordingly to ensure that we are able to maintain a place for a reverent environment.

I know this might be a new experience and practice for many of us. If you've been sensing any desire to gain a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and/or what He wants to mean and be in your life, plan now to participate in these Reflective Services. They begin next week and will run through the 8th of April.

Looking forward to what God will do these next weeks,

Brent