Newsletter for March

Pastor John’s Corner

On Ash Wednesday, we met as a parish to celebrate the beginning of the Lenten season. The confirmands worked very hard to put together their service and I thought they did an excellent job of presenting the service for us. They deserve our congratulation for a job well done.

At that service one of our confirmands gave us a brief history of why we put ashes on our forehead, why we celebrate Lent and Ash Wednesday. Her research was a good and well presented series of facts. However, I hope that all of you will take time during these next few weeks to step beyond the facts of why we celebrate Lent. Lent really is a period of solemn prayer and reflection on the current state of our personal relationship with God. Many people will “give up something” as an act of contrition during this period. The something that we give up is supposed to represent a sacrifice on our part in recognition of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Therefore if your sacrifice is indeed a trivial thing, then you trivialize the sacrifice that Christ made. In other words, giving up chocolate hardly equates to Christ giving up his life.


I heard of a church sign the other day that said “Now Open Christmas through Easter!” I thought that was a pretty neat sign because it hits home to many church goers. Our attendance at the two churches says fairly consistent and we can do so very much better. For those of you who come every Sunday, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But --- it is up to you to make those calls to relatives and friends who miss frequently and invite them to join us again. We would love to have them worship with us again.
Blessings,
Pastor John