Keeping Our Vows in Lent: Presence

Let me see if I can kill two birds with one stone. Back in the fall, I gave a quick overview of the
vows we make when we join a United Methodist congregation—Prayers, Presence, Gifts,
Service, and Witness. These vows aren’t just about membership paperwork. They form a thread
of continuity that ties together the whole Christian life: from the waters of baptism, to joining a
new church family, to a confirmand claiming the faith as their own. No matter how we arrive, we
all share the same vows as part of living out our baptismal identity.

Lent is a natural season to return to those promises. These forty days—excluding
Sundays—stretch from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. They echo the forty days Jesus spent
in the wilderness after his baptism, resisting temptation and preparing for ministry. Historically,
Lent began as a season of fasting and preparation for new believers awaiting baptism. Over time,
it became a season of renewal for the whole church—a chance to repent, reflect, and realign
ourselves with God’s life-giving grace.

Today, Lent invites us to grow in our relationship with God, to deepen our discipleship, and to
offer ourselves for the sake of others. It’s a season of honest self-examination. So it makes sense
to ask: How are we doing with the vows we made? Whether we were baptized as infants,
confirmed as teenagers, or transferred membership as adults, the vows remain the same.
That question—How’s it going?—is not meant to guilt us, but to ground us. Rather than feeling
overwhelmed by all five vows at once, let’s take them one at a time. This month, let’s reflect on
Presence.

Most people first think of “presence” as attending worship, and that matters. But there’s a deeper
truth here. Listen to theologian David Fitch:

“I am convinced that God works in the world primarily through his presence. If you look through
the whole of the Old Testament and the whole of the New Testament, culminating in the person
of Jesus Christ—Emmanuel, ‘God with us’—all the way through to Revelation 21 and the new
heavens and earth, God is seeking to fully dwell with humanity.”

If Fitch is right—and I believe he is—then the real question becomes: How open are we to God’s
presence? Do we feel close to Christ? Are we ready to live the resurrection life he promises even
now? If so, that closeness should draw us toward others—in worship, in study, in service, and
even toward the strangers in our community whom God loves just as deeply.

The truth is: people are hungry for presence. We have access to endless information,
entertainment, and noise—and yet many of us feel disconnected. We can scroll for hours and still
walk away restless. We can sit across from one another at a table and forget to look up.
Lent offers us something different: a chance to reconnect with God’s presence. To simply be with
God. To be present with one another. To listen for the Spirit’s leading toward fruitfulness in our
church, our families, and our neighborhoods.

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So let me ask: Are you hungry for God’s presence? I’m convinced God delights in spending
time with us—lingering, dwelling, walking alongside us.

Here’s to a Blessed and holy Lent.
—Pastor Josh