We need an off-season. Few can be on the top of their game for the full 365. Think of Lent as the spiritual off-season, as time set aside to reflect, read, restore, repair and…REPENT. Repentance is a grace from God whereby the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and draws us to the Father through mediation of the Son. Lent is a 40 day season marked by fasting and prayer. These disciplines prepare us for Easter worship as has been the practice of many Christians throughout the history of the Church. This homily was preached on Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, by Clay Thompson at St Jude’s Anglican Church in Huntersville, NC.