Lenten Journey
Dear Saints of Grace:
First, I want to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my family and me at the death of my brother, Rob. He, like all of us who have been baptized, heard God’s promise never to abandon us, not even in death. I believe that Rob now lives in the fulfillment of that promise.
Lent, this year, falls almost entirely in the month of March. It starts on Ash Wednesday, February 22 and concludes with Holy Week in the first week of April. All of this is in preparation for our annual celebration of the heart of our faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God!
The old English word from which we get “Lent,” originally meant “spring.” The month of March is well-known as a time of transition from winter to spring. Here in the Midwest, we know that the threat of cold weather and even snow continues into April and even sometimes into May. By the end of March, we are ready to celebrate that winter is (mostly) behind us!
Lent is also a time of transition and even new growth. We look forward to the Easter celebration that is coming but we also know that we aren’t there yet. We can’t get to Easter until we have “walked with Jesus” to the cross and the tomb.
Since the early years of Christianity, Lent has been seen as a time for new growth, a deeper understanding of God’s will, and a renewed commitment on our part to actively participate in God’s plan to redeem the whole creation.
This Lent, in addition to regular Sunday worship—in-person or by Zoom—Grace will offer two opportunities for personal growth. On Wednesday evenings, we will meet virtually (by Zoom) to focus on one of the greatest “gems” in all of Scripture, the 23rd Psalm (“The Lord is my Shepherd…”) During each of our Lenten midweek services, we’ll use Holden Evening Prayer with reflections on sections of the psalm. Yes, you will hear the whole psalm at every service. Perhaps by Holy Week, you will have memorized it!
For the final Lenten Midweek Service we will gather in-person and by Zoom at 7:30pm. A pot luck supper will precede the service, beginning at 6:30. You are invited but not required to bring a dish to share. If for any reason, that doesn’t work for you, please plan to come to dinner anyway!
The second midweek offering this Lent will be on four consecutive Thursdays in March (9, 16, 23 and 30). It will be a book discussion group by Zoom only, beginning at 7:00 pm. The book to be discussed this Lent is Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times, by the Reverend Otis Moss III, pastor of Trinity United
Church of Christ on the South side of Chicago. Renowned Christian writer and organizer, Jim Wallis says about the book: “Moss takes the words from our Scriptures and prophetically applies them to our most urgent moral battles and choices in ways that make the Bible come alive again.” The book is just over a hundred pages and is available from Amazon and other booksellers. I look forward to our discussion!
May YOUR Lenten journey be filled with grace and hope. And above all, LOVE!
In the love, joy, peace and hope of Jesus!
Pastor Daniel Schwick