If you were able to be here on Ash Wednesday, you may remember that a part of the Ash Wednesday service is called the invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. It occurs right after the Gospel lesson is read in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy. So, whether you were here Wednesday or not, I want to remind you of a segment of the invitation to a holy Lent. First of all, let’s think about the question, “What is a holy Lent?” When the priest invites the congregation to the observance of a holy Lent, what does that mean? In part, it means something that has to do with the next statement in the invitation, the priest says, “I remind you of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.” So, a part of Lent is to be reminded of the need that all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I want to talk with you for a few minutes this morning about how to incorporate this into this new season of Lent. Lent did begin on Ash Wednesday. We mark the transition by doing the Great Litany today which we do once a year. You see the change of the colors, the crosses draped in purple. So, we know now that Lent has begun, and we also know that one day at a time, the days of Lent will click off, one after another after another. After the appropriate amount of days it will be Easter. We know that. So the question before us is, “What use will we make of this Lenten season? Will we take the invitation to observe a holy season, a season when we draw closer to God?” Let’s think about this statement for a few minutes. The need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I was reminded as I was thinking about what I would share with you today that there was a professor at my college who was a second career scholar. He had been an Air Force colonel, and was a Viet Nam veteran. When he retired from the Air Force, he went back to graduate school and got a Ph.D. in political science. He taught political science at my college, and was Chairman of the Department of Social Sciences. It is always interesting what you can remember from years ago. He may have no memory of saying this, but I remember it. He said once, because he had gotten some applications for positions in the social sciences department, “You know, it always troubles me when somebody talks about having completed their education.” His point to us college kids was, “You never complete your education. We are always learning.” A part of what this invitation says is every Christian remains on the journey throughout life of becoming the person God calls us to be. God isn’t finished with us. We are on the journey day by day, and we have opportunities to grow a little bit more into the person God calls us to be. A part of that journey is repentance. Really what I want to say this morning is focused. I want us to be reminded that the word repentance is not some dread word, and to be called on to repent doesn’t mean that we have committed some heinous sin. That is not what repentance necessarily means at all. It can mean that, but repentance, in its essence, means to turn around. And what we are invited to do in Lent is to be honest about those areas in our lives that aren’t quite where we would have them be. Lent is an invitation to turn around those areas where we recognize that we are not where God would have us be. Lent calls upon us to turn around, and that turning can be gentle. It can be subtle. And yet, when we turn around we come more to the place where God would have us be.

Again, as I was thinking about this short sermon today. I was remembering Debbie and I did some traveling right after Christmas this year, and on a very wet, rainy, foggy evening we were going some place where we had never been. Neither of us had been there, and we drove and drove and drove, and something just didn’t feel quite right. And, of course, I said, “Let’s drive just a little further.” The further we drove, the less right it looked. Finally, I did say, “This just can’t be right.” What could we do? Was the journey lost? No. I turned the car around. Nothing dramatic, all was not lost, but we were headed in the wrong direction. So, we turned the car around, and sure enough, we made it to our destination. That is what Lent is meant to be. Lent is not a time to be depressed. I have heard people use Lent and depressing as synonyms. That is so unfortunate. That is not what Lent is meant to be. Lent is a time to be honest, to be honest with ourselves and with God about where we are in our spiritual lives. And, in those areas where we aren’t where we would like to be, Lent is an invitation to turn around. Turn around and know that we will receive God’s love, God’s grace, God’s mercy. Forgiveness isn’t something to be feared. It is something to be grateful for. Grace is God’s gift to us. It is grace that forgives us. It is grace that gives us a new beginning.

I want to close by referring to a quotation from one of my favorite spiritual writers. Basil Hume was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of London in recent years. Hume died within the last eight to ten years. He wrote a number of very thin devotional books. They are all wonderful. I have a Hume section in my library. Basil Hume was a wonderful spiritual writer. In one of his little devotional books, Basil Hume says this, “Just remember the simple truth, God is in love with you.” I think that is so hard for us to embrace, because we know the reality of our lives. We know that we are imperfect. It is the human condition. It began in the garden. We know ourselves. We know our flaws. I know mine, I can assure you. I sometimes say to the office staff during the week, “I can assure you that my conscience is in perfectly good working order.” I know I need to do that. I know I should have seen that person. I know my flaws, and you know yours. And, yet, the glory of our faith is that God is in love with us. Just take that with you today. Take it with you through this Lenten season. As we are honest about ourselves, as we are honest about our flaws, the good news is God is in love with you. We can be honest with God, and know that we are forgiven because, God is in love with us with a love that surpasses our understanding. That is the glory of our faith. So, as I did Wednesday, I will do again now. I invite you, as I invite myself, to the observance of a holy Lent. My sincere prayer for you today, as it is for myself, is that this will be a season during which we embrace the reality that God is in love with us. And, a part of our response to that gift, is to let his love show forth in our loves. Amen.