Lent is upon us. Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday (this year on February 17) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 3^rd). The season is a preparation of celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism and then became a time for penance by all Christians.

Galloway’s 2010 theme for Lent is Lift Up Your Hearts. Each time we celebrate Holy Communion, we speak, “The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord.”

Do you give much thought to our sacramental life together? We believe that Holy Communion is a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace. But how does sacramental life (outward signs of inward grace) connect with our expression Lift up your hearts? What does it mean to “lift up your hearts”? How do we travel the Lenten journey with personal piety and social holiness (as John Wesley suggested)?

When Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17^th, we ask that you reflect on how you lift up your heart through:

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  • Prayer
  • Living a sacramental life (outward sign of an inward grace)
  • Caring
  • Giving
  • Sacrificing
  • Fasting (at least one meal per week during Lent)
  • Studying the scriptures
  • Worshiping
  • Living in Community

Lifting Up Your Hearts takes practice. The 40 days of Lent give us intentional time to practice our shared sacramental life. Change your rhythm this Lent. Cull out the clutter in your schedule. Create space to lift up your hearts. Respond with boldness and clarity, We lift them up to the Lord.