Lent Makes You Irrepressible

"Where there is no struggle there is no strength." Oprah Winfrey

Many of us are sport fans. We just watched Super Bowl and now, we are admiring the strength of the athletes while watching the Olympics.
Their strength requires tremendous resilience that is learned by practicing again and again in any given situation. Falling and getting up and falling again is the only way to become resilient.
What is your resilience capacity? During the pandemic each of us tested how high or low it was. We all wish for a trouble-free life, but how can we prepare for adversity if we do not practice? 
That’s where we need the church. We are in the season of Lent that requires denial, discipline, and even fasting to learn how to become resilient by practicing our faith and managing emotions and energy.
How often do you hear people say,
I’m done with church.
I don’t really need to go to church… my relationship with God is personal.

The problem is that when people start something exciting, even going to church, with great inspiration and strength to change the world, eventually they begin to lose heart and struggle to keep going, not seeing that the church provides them with the opportunity to serve.
Dr. Aana Marie Vigen says, “The church must also be open to allowing the world, especially the poor and oppressed, to show the church how much it has yet to accomplish to become fully the church.”
Let’s use this Lent as a training season, a boot camp if you wish, and by serving the world around us with strength and compassion, we will develop a new and deeper capacity for resilience.
Come to church to hear the series of sermons Irrepressible - Find the resilience you need. 

Pastor Lydia