Recently, on my way to a meeting at a United Methodist Church, I was trying to find my way around a town new to me. Finally I stopped and asked for directions which were given in a most straightforward manner:

Go to the center of town and the church is right there.

As I headed to the center of town, I thought how those were not only simple directions but also a good metaphor for our spiritual lives. (Twenty-five years of preaching has some inevitable side-effects!)

We are always looking for that Center which grounds us and gives us security and purpose, correction and direction. One of the spiritual fathers puts our search in this way,

Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.

Life brings different stages and each day can bring new challenges, so we must find that Center, return again (and again) to our home in God, where we learn to rest in God’s Spirit. Some of us found that Holy Center long ago; yet we need to be reminded to keep on seeking the Lord so that we do not wander off or find our faith growing stale and self-centered. Some of us are still looking for that Center and we need guidance from others along the journey. Some of us do not yet know that the Center is what is missing from our lives and we go on aimlessly searching on our own.

We begin the church’s season of Lent: time for reflection and renewal as we prepare our hearts and lives to receive the wondrous gift of love which God has to offer us in Christ at Easter. At this season I would urge each of you to take time and make opportunities to strengthen your faith.

If you have found the Center for your life, make good use of the spiritual practices of prayer, small group study, Bible reading, and good works that keep you grounded in faith and the living out of Christian faith day by day.

If you are still searching for the Center, we invite you to worship regularly on Sunday, or to join one of our small groups on Sunday morning and through the week, or to join one of the mission and outreach programs of our congregation, or to use Lenten daily devotion materials provided at the back of the sanctuary.

Make the commitment today which will guarantee a very happy and blessed Easter this year!