~ Lent’s Message in a Difficult Year~ ~
“And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan.
And he was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.”
~Mark 1:13
Dear Members and Friends,
Happy Lenten Season to you. While it’s not exactly true that Lent is meant to be gloomy, it is certainly a time of year set aside for…introspection. Our faith ancestors found the cloudy, rainy weeks of late winter and early spring to be a time of hope and renewal, with the days growing longer and warmer, with the earth awakening to new life. It was also deemed a good time for a different kind of renewal: repentance, turning away from all the things in our lives and in our world that draw us away from God and each other. Let me encourage you to take part in some of our Lenten practices.
ASH WEDNESDAY
Ashes are an ancient symbol of repentance. Lent begins on Wednesday, March 5, with a service of ashes at 7:00pm in the sanctuary. This is a meditative time with communion and optional “imposition of the ashes.”
*NEW*
LENTEN POTLUCK DINNERS
Join us for weekly dinners on Sundays in Lent beginning at 6:00pm. These are pure potlucks; whatever folks bring is what we get. Bring either a main course, side, or dessert to share. Dinner will be followed by a choice of two programs, both of which are open to all ages:
One will be led by myself, and it will be a return to interviewing church members about their faith journeys. The second will be led by our Director of Christian Education, Amy Grella. Participants will explore their faith through creative expression with a guided craft project. Each Lenten evening event will end no later than 8:00pm.
Again, these will take place on Sunday evenings: March 9, 16, 23, 30 and April 6. On March 23, we will diverge from our normal programming to host an iftar dinner (a Ramadan evening feast) for our Muslim friends of the Turkish Cultural Center. Stay tuned for more details about the iftar.
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that you need Lent more than you know this year. Try a daily discipline like reading a Psalm, praying a certain prayer, beginning or ending your day with a candle and a moment of silence… Also, bring your Lenten longings here to share them with us. Let’s make this journey toward Easter together.
Christ’s Peace,
~Brian
Comments