Dear St. Paul’s Family,
Man, oh man. I think most of us are still buzzing about last night’s festivities. What an incredible night! Be sure to read the end of today’s Mid-Week Message for more about the Great Cherokee Pancake Race and Shrove Tuesday Service. But first….
ASH WEDNESDAY
For years, people have told me to enjoy my children while they are still young, because they will grow up so fast. That has certainly been true. But in the Christian liturgical cycle, no child grows up faster than Jesus. Just two months ago today, we were basking in Bethlehem starlight, celebrating his birth. And now, just two months later, thirty years in gospel time, we are preparing for the journey to Jerusalem.
Ready or not, it’s time for Lent.
It is worth noting some significant differences between Christmas Day and Ash Wednesday. Christmas is predictable: without fail, it is always on December 25. We order our lives and our calendars around it. It never backs into November, never slides into January. School semesters always break for it, retailers bet on it, and families plan travel around it. There is something constant, and comforting, about this holiday fixture.
But Easter moves around. Independent of our secular schedules, it is – are you ready for this – on the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox on the 21st of March. This means that Ash Wednesday can occur as early as the first week in February or as late as the second week in March. That’s a variation of nearly 35 days!
What this means is that Lent often sneaks up on us. It catches us off guard. It can disrupt our planning. Sometimes the schools have spring break during Holy Week, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the stores have lots of time between their Valentine’s chocolates and their Cadbury Easter eggs, and sometimes they don’t. Whereas Christmas is comforting in its constancy, Lent can be devious in its elusiveness.
And when you think about it, maybe that is an accurate reflection of how we live our lives:
· We can know with precision the exact date, and even the time of our own births. But we cannot know with the same certainty the moment of our deaths.
· We can know with certainty God’s constant love and faithfulness. But we can be quite blind to the sin that germinates and blooms within the subsoil of our existence.
· We can know with absolute conviction what God has done for us through Christ. But we can be quite ambivalent in committing ourselves to that same Christ.
· We are quick to bask in the life, light, and joy of knowing Jesus. But we are caught off guard when that relationship calls us to humility, sobriety, and self-sacrifice.
For the secularized Christian, what Wesley would call an “Almost Christian,” celebration is a given, but discipline is elusive. A life of mere good deeds and a life of sincere, committed faith can be eons apart.
Regardless of how subtly this Lenten season has snuck up on you, we are all here together, to begin a 40-day journey marked by an invitation to look deeply within our lives and find what resides within the shadowy parts of our souls. Ready or not, we enter into a time of acknowledgement, confession, surrender, and ultimately, transformation.
I invite you to begin the journey with a special Ash Wednesday service tonight at 7:00, which will include the imposition of ashes. And then, this Sunday, we start a new sermon series called “Upside Down: How the Cross Changes Everything.” We’ll explore the many ways that following Christ inverts many of our ingrained patterns of behavior, and flips conventional wisdom on its ear. We’ll begin with a sermon focusing on forgiveness, and Christ’s astonishing command for us to forgive people “seventy times seven” times.
Come along for the journey, and invite an unchurched family member or friend to come along. This will be a powerful, deeply meaningful time together.
Ready or not, let’s observe a holy Lent.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA 51012
Ph: 712-225-3955
http://www.cherokeespumc.org
Upside Down: How the Cross Changes Everything
Lent 2009
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
Repentance: Inward Turned Outward
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Ash Wednesday, February 25
Service at 7:00pm
Forgiveness: Seventy Times Seven
Matthew 18:21-22
March 1
Servanthood: The Way Down is the Way Up
Philippians 2:1-11
March 8
Peace: Anger’s Antidote
Matthew 5:1-11
March 15
Joy: Anxiety Upside Down
James 1:2-4
March 22
Equality: The First Will Be Last
Matthew 20:1-16
March 29
Obedience: Losing Life to Gain It
Matthew 26:36-46
Palm Sunday, April 5
Love: The Greatest Commandment
John 13:1-20
Maundy Thursday, April 9
Service at 7:00pm
Crucifixion: The Covenant of Grace
Matthew 16:24-25
Good Friday, April 10
Service at 7:00pm
Resurrection: The Great Reversal
Mark 16:1-8
Easter Sunday, April 12
Services at 7:00 and 10:10
WOW! WHAT A TIME!
What an amazing, memorable day we shared together yesterday! In all, about 80 racers and hundreds of fans participated in the first annual Great Cherokee Pancake Day race, followed by a standing-room only Shrove Tuesday service. The pancake supper served 300 people, and brought in over $2,200 for the two local food pantries. There was such a tangible feeling of joy and goodwill on the streets and in the church, and everyone was buzzing about St. Paul’s efforts to put on such a great day. Be sure to catch today’s radio and newspaper coverage, and if you missed KTIV’s great segment last night, watch the video at http://www.ktiv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9900778 To view the first batch of pictures from yesterday’s event, check out our website. Great job, St. Paul’s!
CHARGE CONFERENCE APPROVES PURCHASE
At the charge conference convened by our District Superintendent Berne Colorado last Monday night, the church unanimously approved the purchase of the two 6th Street properties south of the church, which will be demolished and prepared for parking adjacent to our accessible west entrance. The Building Committee will now work on securing a company to demolish and clear the properties.
ST. PAUL’S ACHIEVES THIRD-MILE GIVING
As announced during worship last Sunday, St. Paul’s exceeded the amount needed to achieve third-mile giving towards local and global missions through the Iowa Conference’s Rainbow Covenant Missions Giving program. This is the first time St. Paul’s has achieved this goal, which is the highest possible status for missions giving in the conference. We give thanks to God for the generosity of the people of St. Paul’s.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
This Sunday we receive our annual offering for the One Great Hour of Sharing, which supports the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. UMCOR provides aid and relief to people who have been affected by catastrophic disasters all around the world.
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