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Lent is a time in the liturgical calendar designed to prepare our hearts to more fully engage in the amazing story of salvation.  Lent 2022 begins on March 2, which is Ash Wednesday.  Traditionally, many Christians commit to fast or give up a luxury during Lent.  About this season, N. T. Wright notes, “Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger-pointing but because He wants us to know the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things he now has in store.”

Of course, Christ’s followers are free from sin because of His grace, not because of any religious ritual.  So you could look at Lent as a time of deeper discovery of your walk with Jesus.  You may choose to give up something or take time to fast and pray.  Interestingly, at Cornerstone, this is also the time of the year to look at our leadership needs.  Our Nominating Team has distributed nomination forms to CNC members which can be submitted through March.  Please carefully consider who might be on the 2022-23 Leadership Team.  Nominees will go through a process of discernment and then be affirmed at our annual general meeting in May.

Back in the fourth Century John Chrysostom wrote, “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.”  There seems to be an important link between Lent and leadership in the church.  At Lent we can take that extra step of spiritual discipline to allow our hearts to more fully contemplate the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  What love Christ has for us!  And people filled with the love of Christ are just the kind of leaders we need!