March 2020 newsletter

From the Pastor
Dear Church Family,
Lent is here.
The king cakes are gone; people are eating fish on Fridays - and some are fasting altogether on Fridays to
remember and spiritually draw closer to the sufferings of our Lord.
I have to admit...I love Lent. I love the emphasis on discipline and renewal; I love the focus on Christ's
passionate love that even suffers for his church. All of these themes are interconnected: Christ's passion is
the source of our renewal and both inspires and empowers our discipline.
Many people practice fasting or abstinence of different kinds during Lent. People give up certain kinds of
food or entertainment; people choose certain days to fast entirely - Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are
tradition days for fasting. Some people give up shopping or social media.
People not only give things up in Lent, many also take on new practices.
Some will start using a daily Devotion book, or read through the New Testament or through the Four
Gospels in this season (2 chapters a day will get you through the Four Gospels by Easter Sunday). Some
people take on new volunteering opportunities during this season; some give up that daily cup of Starbucks
to donate a few dollars each week to a good cause.
Always the point is not to try to impress God, or earn his favor; rather we seek to strip away distractions in
order to pay closer attention; to empty ourselves in order to be ready to receive and be filled; to more fully
grasp his great mercy, love and passion for us.
What are you doing to draw near to Christ during this holy season?
-Rev. Daniel
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up. Ephesians 4:11-12