Holy Communion Anglican Church
East Greenwich, RI – Standing Firm on Biblical Truth and Christian Tradition
Yes, we look forward to the Easter holiday, with all the celebration, colors, and the Easter feast. It is good to do so. And a Lenten discipline makes us appreciate them all the more, but we must place the focus on what is truly important. Lent is for preparing our hearts for Easter, not preparing our stomachs for the feast. Likewise, we cannot prepare for Easter over a weekend. It is a pilgrimage in Christ’s footsteps, to follow His ministry and His Passion.
Eighty men accepted a mission to launch from an aircraft carrier deck, knowing they could not return to the ship. This is the same fortitude it takes to choose to follow Jesus.
Once we acknowledge we are sinners and we cannot save ourselves, we must know we are saved by the Blood of Christ. We can then bring all our troubles, all our worries and problems to the Cross of Christ. And this is done with the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Not only do we, as followers of Christ, raise up Scripture as a standard, but we raise up Christ himself. We must be like Peter with his confession (Matthew 16:14-16). We must proclaim who Jesus is, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
What does it mean to, “taste and see that the Lord is good”? (Psalm 34:8)
The Christian path has not changed. Surely, our work is cut out for us. We are not promised a smooth journey. We will travel sowing seeds. We will travel to hallow His name, going forth to love and serve the Lord.
Lent is an opportunity for the renewal of our mind. It is a time to discern God’s will through meditation and prayer. To stay focused on renewal, it will be necessary to put aside the pleasures that distract us.
What does it truly mean to be “The Man”? Saint Polycarp (AD 69 – 155), Bishop of Smyrna, whom the Church remembers today, was “The Man” in an entirely different sense: His unparalleled example as a man immovable in his faith and imitation of Jesus’ life.