Unity of Music City is Rediscovering Lent together.  Whether you have been a participant in Lent before or this is your first time I invite you into the practice “Unity Style.”  New Thought believes that Lent is best practiced by letting go of negative thoughts and feelings, not necessarily things. (Although, sometimes I find those things may be standing in the way of realizing my true Christ nature.)

Lent is a season of retreat from “things of the world”, for two reasons:

In this way we are preparing ourselves for Easter Sunday - a resurrection from the darkness of doubt, fear, and negativity to the light of faith and understanding of the One presence and One power. 

I hope you will join us on Sunday for a Lesson entitled The Altar.  We will be discussing how to prepare ourselves as the true “Altar of Spirit” – and that process involves “altering our minds.” We have a new face joining us for Special Music: Trace Jory.  Some of you have already met Trace, who attends our services regularly.  I know his songs will touch your heart and your mind as he assists us in shifting from the place of seeing ourselves as broken or less than – to seeing ourselves as the Temple of God – the Altar of the Divine.  We know that “It is not I, but the Christ within that does the work.” Galatians 2:20

Like many other religious traditions and rituals, most follow the letter of the law but not necessarily the spirit of the law.  I have recently seen people posting on Facebook that they are giving up the following:  alcoholic beverages, caffeine, sugar, sex, a bad habit, or an addiction.  Since I did not grow up with this tradition, the first time I heard about it, I wondered what happened at the end of the 40 days.  Do they go back to their old ways of being; or do people notice a change within their mind, body, and spirit?  Is Lent a practice or ritual that has lost its true importance? 

For the next few weeks as we continue to focus on a Season of Non-Violence, we will begin to look at what it would mean to Keep a True Lent.  Charles Fillmore gives this definition:   

“Lent is a season of spiritual growth -

A time for progressive unfoldment

And transformation.”

 Charles felt it was of no use to go through the outer practices of change if those same changes did not lead to a deeper feeling of communion with the one presence and the one power.

Charles used a scripture from Isaiah 58:6 which speaks of “losing the bands of wickedness.”  We will take a look at that scripture translated through The Message on Sunday Morning.  I will urge the spiritual community that meets at 4319 Saundersville Road toKeep a True Lent  – to breathe into the statement “I am holy. Only goodness comes from me.”  Imagine your life as you “lose the bands of wickedness” by using tools of emotional hygiene and building a muscular compassion for all those you meet. 

As we prepare for our Nashville Chooses Peace Event on April 8 – let’s all step into the ways in which we can be a #force4good in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our city and in our world.   We just might discover how Keeping a True Lent will assist us in that goal.