It’s Ash Wednesday today, the beginning of Lent and the inexorable march towards Resurrection Sunday. This year, as in years past, I have decided to give up beer for Lent. It might seem silly but there’s actually meaningful resonance with the classic tradition for me. In the past people gave up meat from Monday to Saturday during Lent and the shared a family meal after church on Sunday as a mini celebration rehearsal for the coming Resurrection Sunday. In my faith community our weekly tradition is that a number of us head to a local pub to “grab a pint, meet someone new and continue the conversation” (the second half of our benediction). So abstaining from beer Monday or Saturday and celebrating with a Guinness Sunday night has an agreeable symmetry to Lenton tradition for me.

A Lenton Prayer for Reflection

God, heavenly Father,
look upon me and hear my prayer
during this holy Season of Lent.
By the good works You inspire,
help me to discipline my body
and to be renewed in spirit.

Without You I can do nothing.
By Your Spirit help me to know what is right
and to be eager in doing Your will.
Teach me to find new life through penance.
Keep me from sin, and help me live
by Your commandment of love.
God of love, bring me back to You.
Send Your Spirit to make me strong
in faith and active in good works.
May my acts of penance bring me Your forgiveness,
open my heart to Your love,
and prepare me for the coming feast
of the Resurrection of Jesus.

Lord, during this Lenten Season,
nourish me with Your Word of life
and make me one
with You in love and prayer.

Fill my heart with Your love
and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ.
Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness.
Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the eucharist.

Father, our source of life,
I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand;
let me walk more readily in Your ways.
Guide me in Your gentle mercy,
for left to myself I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings,
help me to pass from my old life of sin
to the new life of grace.
Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom.
I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever.

Amen.

Sunday Nights 7pm

In all of the current talk about spirituality, we soon realize that carefulness and clarity are required. It turns out that spirituality isn’t enough, that spirituality merely names a condition. It turns out that spirituality requires a true center from which to work, a definition to give shape and meaning.
If spirituality is hunger, truth is nourishment. If spirituality is the search, Jesus is the true guide. Jesus most famously said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” [John 14:6]. Jesus’ claims are specific, particular and focused.
It is our intention at Westside King’s Church to place ourselves in the center of the Christian faith. We want to learn to say “we believe” with the whole company of Jesus’ church, throughout the world and throughout history. In this series we want to talk about “a westside creed”.

Read our creed here

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Sunday Nights 7pm at unedited spirituality

We started this year by jumping into the idea of Pure Religion; exploring faith at it’s highest ideals. Then we took that down into the smallest point of application possible; one life lived before God, as we explored the story of Jonah. As we move into the Christmas season we want to explore how God himself stepped into history as the fullest expression of both ideas. The story of Christmas is not just the story of a baby in a manger. It’s our launching point into the story of Jesus’ life; the fullest expression of faith and humanity. Over the next few weeks we want to explore the Christmas narrative from the perspective of Mark. A writer who chooses to skip right past the birth narrative and jump directly into Jesus ministry. Perhaps there’s a helpful corrective here that pushes back against our tendency to segregate the baby Jesus from man he would become.

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Dec 5: Jeremy
Dec 12: Chris
Dec 19: Jeremy

Dec 24: Christmas Eve celebrations at 3:00pm, 4:30pm and 6:00pm

Dec 26: No Service. Enjoy the Holiday with your family
Jan 2: We’re back at 7pm starting a new series “Seeking the Radical Middle”