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Lent is almost here!
I don't remember Lent and Valentine's Day intersecting before in my lifetime, but I can't think of a more beautiful convergence. What greater demonstration of love has there ever been than Jesus giving his life for our sins so that we might live in his love?
Lent begins on Valentine's Day, a holiday with roots traced to the life and death of a 3rd century Roman priest named Valentinus. Tradition tells of how he was known to secretly wed Christian lovers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman government. When he was caught and arrested, the emperor Claudius II took a liking to him, but apparently at some point when Valentinus tried to share the gospel with him, he was condemned to death. One account suggests that he healed the daughter of Claudius of blindness before he died and wrote her a note, signing it from your Valentine. Valentinus was beaten, stoned and finally beheaded for his faith. This man who unwittingly gave us the holiday of hearts and love, followed in the footsteps of our Savior whose suffering we ponder through the season of Lent. To that end, I invite you to go with me on a lectio divina journey with Jesus through his final hours. I cannot fathom a more powerful way to learn to live in the love for which we were created. Join me in Living Loved through Lent--see how below.
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I love everything about Christmas--the lights, the decorations, the cheesy music in the stores, and of course giving gifts to those I love. But to be honest, what I cherish most is the quiet waiting Advent that represents, the wonder that what God had promised for thousands of years, he fulfilled on that dark night when a teenager gave birth in a manger in Bethlehem.
Perhaps like me, you struggle through the chaos of the season to quiet your heart and focus on the wonder of the incarnation, to connect with this God who came to live among us, not only showing us the glory could never have grasped, but giving his life that we might know him in all his splendor--intimately and eternally. Many years ago I created twelve days of Christmas devotionals for December 14th through Christmas Day. If you are looking for a way to enter the beauty of this waiting season, perhaps these might be of help. You can check them out daily on this site by clicking here. Or you can download and print them for yourself by clicking here. FEBRUARY 22-APRIL 8Lent begins tomorrow. Almost a quarter of a century ago I began to meditate on Jesus' final hours in the days before Easter. Little did I know my contemplation would last over a year and one day become a book to guide others in their own Lenten journey. Recently our church added a song that captures the beautiful mystery of Calvary -the pathos in the chorus wrecks me every time:
I hope sometime tomorrow you will find a quiet place and sit with this song--I can't think of a better way to begin Lent. Here are a few other resources: ![]() ORDER THE BOOK--forty days with Jesus in his final 18 hours. Narratives, Scriptures, reflections and more. A LENT FASTING GUIDE: There are many ways to focus on Jesus through this season. Discover how with this simple guide. DAILY SCRIPTURES FOR LENT: Work your way through the narratives of Jesus' final hours, along with other relevant Scriptures. ![]() Since I first journaled my way through the passion narratives decades ago, I have been wrecked again and again. How can it be otherwise, given the ineffable love story that unfolds there? I pray that you will experience Jesus like never before in this Lenten season. As wars rage and uncertainty settles like a shroud, may we experience rest and wonder in the shadow of the Cross. ![]() I read once of an elderly woman who went to her priest for advice because she still wasn’t experiencing God’s presence after praying faithfully for years. He instructed her to stop talking to God and instead get quiet and just knit before the face of God for 15 minutes each morning. After struggling for a few days, something happened as she began to realize that in the silence God was there with her. This awareness changed her life.* I have always loved that story because it did for me what I believe this book can do for anyone with desire for more of God or frustration over their prayer life. Simply put, Where Prayer Becomes Real charts a path that sets us free from religious constraints, and redeems duty-driven spiritual practices that have not been as life-giving as prayer is meant to be. best takeawayThe best thing about this book is that it is heavily practice oriented. While the second part is devoted to unpacking specific practices, Coe and Strobel carefully interweave Part One-What We Need to Unlearn about Prayer-with meaningful invitations designed to peel back the layers of our good Christian prayer assumptions. For example, Chapter Two addresses ways we avoid God, even as we offer up prayers. When we think prayer is up to us or feel obligated to do it well, we focus on the doing, and hide the true state of our soul. The practice for this chapter opens a way for us to think more deeply about what it means to be with God in truth. favorite insightTo be honest, I never realized how much I talk to myself in prayer until I read this book. Coe and Strobel point out that we can tend to ignore the messiness of our own hearts because we think God wants us in an improved state. As a result, prayer becomes an internal conversation about how to do better. I have found a new level of freedom in prayer as have begun to recognize the ways I do this. a little tasterFor Strobel and Coe, intercession centers around being present—to the people we intercede for, to our own hearts and to God. They note that often: “(1) I am absent from the person I am praying for, as I name requests to mark off a list; 2) I am absent from myself, since I am not actually entering into the heart of the request; and 3) I am absent from God because I am not with him with these requests. I’m just lofting them at him.” (page 157) The art of presence as they refer to it, has brought a refreshing energy to my practice of intercession. why you should get itThis book is about the most important relationship in the world and that alone is reason enough to get it now. But beyond that, When Prayer Becomes Real makes us want to pray, drawing us in with the simple invitation to be ourselves with God. This, plus the many practices ensure that there is enough help to keep anyone growing in prayer for years to come.
*told in School of Prayer by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. PURCHASE HERE. READ MORE HERE. |
Tricia McCary RhodesAuthor of 7 books and pastor of Global Leadership Development at All Peoples Church in San Diego, Tricia specializes in helping others experience God’s presence through practicing soul-care. Archives
February 2025
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