You’re getting this on Thursday. I’m writing it on Wednesday. We’re just beginning Lent. 

Lent is a 40 day season that lasts for 46 days. Huh? Well, technically the Sundays don’t count in Lent – so we’re going until April 5, but we’re only counting Monday through Saturday.

You may also know Lent by its external trappings: stuff like giving up chocolate or more somber hymns or your favorite 1941 liturgy at University Lutheran. But Lent is about more than its externals. Lent should drive us deeper.

That is why our Sunday series for Lent is called “Into the Deep”. On Sundays we’re going to talk about how we can use this time to deepen our faith, to wrestle with tough realities and maybe even sometimes difficult concepts that come up as we try to follow Jesus. Think about how many times the disciples were confused and flummoxed by Jesus while they were following Him. Did you really expect your discipleship to be completely different?

But the good news is that Jesus meets us in the deep. He meets us in the depths of our confusion, our sin, our isolation, our “deeps”. So we go deep, not to drown in those depths, but to find that Jesus is right there for us in the very deepest experiences of our lives.

This Lent you can also follow along with us as we go “40 days deeper”. Every day in Lent we’re going to post on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook a super short devotion that is meant to get you thinking about the depths of your experience and how Jesus meets you there. And don’t forget to join us on Sundays to find Jesus meeting you in Word and Sacrament given for you.