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Archived 02/02: A Message From the Pastor
Rev. Alice Ann Bonham
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It's always a little difficult
to talk about something that, at one level, is very familiar.
Lent is very familiar. Most of us have been talking about Lent
our whole lives. We know that during Lent a lot of people give
things up (chocolate seems to be a favorite.) We have additional
mid-week services, and ultimately Lent leads us to Easter.
What's new about Lent? That may be the problem -- the familiarity. Some times things become so familiar that they loose their meaning. The trick is to find a new way to look at the familiar to find what's important for our lives. This year I found a new way to describe Lent. This description comes from a Creative Communications for the Parish Publication "The Bedbug Bible Gang -- How I Spent Lent." I hope that it sparks more than a smile. I hope it touches your heart as much as it touched mine. |
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| FORTY FULL DAYS! | ||||
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When Mommy said that it was Lent, I had to ask her what she meant. Now I know what I need to know Because my mommy told me so. She said that Lent is forty days Filled up with time to pray, and praise And think of all that Jesus gives, He gave his life so we may live. "When Lent begins," my mommy said, "We might put ashes on our heads." But what do these small smudges mean? Why would we mark our heads so clean? "We are all marked with sin," she said, "Just like that mark upon your head. The mark reminds us of our sins God wants us to be clean again." "But scrubbing sins take more than soap. Without some help, there isn't hope. How can we clean our hearts from sin? We just ask Jesus to come in." |
"That's what we do in Lent, you see," My mommy gladly said to me. "We welcome Jesus in our lives And thank him for his sacrifice." "As Lent come to an end," she sighed, "We all recall how Jesus died. He gave his life upon a cross. It's sad to think of such a loss." "His friends laid Jesus in a tomb, And all the world was dark and gloom. This part of Lent is gloomy, too, For Jesus died for me and you." "But Easter morning," Mommy grins, "We know that Jesus lives again. He takes our sin and gloom away And lives within our hearts each day." |
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Please join us during this Lenten
Season. It begins with a special worship service on Ash
Wednesday at 7:30. Ashes and Communion will be offered for those
who would like to partake. Then on the successive Wednesday
evenings we will worship with our sister churches, Prospect Park
and Norwood. A schedule of times and places can be found further
inside this newsletter. (NPR
Lenten Series - click here) My prayer for us during this important time in the Christian Year is that we will use this time for worship, reflection, prayer and praise and that we will ask Jesus to come into our hearts in new and exciting ways. May the Peace of Christ be with you.
Pastor Alice Ann
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