Pastor's Desk-September 2006

From the Pastor's Desk - Lent

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and continues to Easter Sunday. This holy season beginning February 6 is pivotal in the Christian Church as we renew our focus on the life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus. This opportune time is symbolic of the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness – time spent on self-examination and clarifying values and priorities – after his baptism and just before the beginning of his ministry. We, too, are in the wilderness and need time, opportune time, for clarification of our values and priorities. The gospel of Mark, verses 28 to 33, report an encounter between Jesus and a religion scholar. The religion scholar walks up and asks Jesus what, of all of the commandments of God, is the most important. Jesus responds that first of all is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. The religion scholar was impressed and responded in amazement with a surprising revelation – that Jesus’ summary to Love God first and love one another as yourself is better than all offerings and sacrifices put together. Jesus blessed him and declared he was not far from the kingdom of God.

One way we love our God is through service to our neighbor. Service, Not Sacrifice. This will be the theme of our spiritual reflection this season. Rather than focus on “giving up” as spiritual discipline, we will practice “giving to” as we expand on ways to love and serve one another. On Sunday, February 10, Larraine Marthinsen will be a guest in our worship service. Larraine represents a ministry to homeless families called Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN). IHN is in the process of setting up an affiliate of churches in the Metrowest area to extend hospitality to homeless families by utilizing church facilities to house them one week at a time, four weeks a year. This initiative is more involved than there is space on this page to explain. However, I take this moment to ask you to plan to be present on this date and hear what Larraine has to say. She has visited the church council and deacons this past fall, and on recommendation of these two groups, will be speaking with the larger church body on February 10 during morning worship. What an exciting way to begin our season of lent, and to imagine together the possibilities of how we can be a part of God’s vision for his people.

Jason

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