This Sunday, we come to the final sermon from The List series. Of the eight passages you selected, two had the topic of Love as the primary focus. This week will be second of the two. I am not surprised that a church family as full of love as Union would focus their requests this way! You demonstrate it every day in the way you live and the way you minister to each other and to our community. This week: 1 John 4:7-21.
In just one week, we will mark the beginning of the season of Lent with our traditional Ash Wednesday service at 6:30 pm. During the service we will spend time remembering, confessing our sins and will be blessed with the assurance of God’s pardon for each of us. The simple service will offer communion and the imposition of ashes as a reminder that we were created from dust. We move from Ash Wednesday into the next 40 days, the season of Lent. How do we mark those days? Some people use them to “fast” from social media, or certain behaviors. We often hear of people “giving up” chocolate or soft drinks. This year I want to encourage you to move beyond…
Let these days be days, when instead of “giving up,” you add simple practices that can draw you closer to God. This Sunday, you will find a large basket filled with purple and white paper chains – much like the kind you might have made as a child. These chains are available for you to use during the 40 days of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday. Each day, as you remove a link, you will find a simple act to help you intentionally focus on God and what God might be saying to you during this Lenten season.
I pray that your days will be filled with quiet listening, time for reading the scripture, and time for prayer as we listen intently and intentionally for God’s voice.
-Pastor Jane