Dear Church,
The Season of Lent is quickly approaching. Ash Wednesday is one week from today (February 17th) to be exact. This Sunday will be Transfiguration Sunday. It marks the end of Epiphany with a spectacular revelation of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. It opens the door and points in the direction toward Ash Wednesday and Lent, the road to Jerusalem, crucifixion, and resurrection. They are, indeed, fast approaching. It is time to get ready.
This year we are going to share Ash Wednesday a little differently. As we continue to face the dangers of COVID-19, we will not gather in person to receive ashes on our foreheads as a mark of penitence. This year we will pre-record our Ash Wednesday Service. It will be available when you wake up on that morning. Rather than using ashes to remember our mortality, we will use the dirt into which we were born, and which brings forth God's fruit to nourish us throughout our lives. Between now and next Wednesday, take some time to collect a bowl of God's good earth for Ash Wednesday. Collect enough to run your fingers through during the service. Plan to keep it in a prominent place of daily gathering, living, or prayer in your home throughout the season of Lent.
After a bit of conversation and consideration, we will not be adding a Bible Study to the Lenten calendar this year. During the season of Lent, this year, we will be sharing daily prayers and scripture readings adapted from the Revised Common Lectionary. There will be several readings. You are invited to read any or all of them. The readings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are meant to prepare us for the upcoming Sunday readings. The passages on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are meant for continued reflection following Sunday's reading.
You may find these daily prayers in several places. They will be posted, daily, on Facebook. They will also be available on our website. You should receive an email each week with links to the readings on the website. We will also be handing out a set of prayer cards each week, when you arrive for Sunday morning worship. We are expecting to hand out at least one set per household. If you would like more, don't hesitate to ask, we will have extra. If you want to find them online and keep your home "clutter free," don't feel like you have to take one.
Lent is a season of penitence and reflection. It is also a season of hope. Crucifixion, and the desertion of God by creation that it represents looms over us during these weeks. At the same time we know, and are called to remember, especially every Sabbath Sunday, that the story of "God with us" does not end at the cross. It continues into the new, never-ending life of resurrection. May we continue to live the examined life of the spirit this Lent. In so doing may we live in the hope of new life we see peeking over the horizon, drawing us always toward God and neighbor, those familiar and those not yet known.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Alan