As I scrolled back through the last few Lenten seasons, I was reminded of how much we have experienced over that time together. Each Lenten season, we gathered on Wednesday evenings, sometimes virtually and other times in person, to share in a time of prayer and study.
In 2021, we studied Jesus’ teachings about storing treasures in his Sermon on the Mount. We prayed together, read scriptures with one another, pondered how Jesus’ teachings fit into our lives today, and shared many different perspectives both on the scriptures and life. We studied scriptures from Matthew, Luke, and Mark exploring the Gospels regarding what types of treasures matter, why we store up treasures, and the power those treasures hold in our lives. Over the course of gathering each week, we realized we shared many of the same treasures. We also recognized our shared love for service. Our desire to serve our families, our friends, our coworkers, our neighbors, and our communities in a myriad of ways through both our church and other organizations that we are associated with. Along the way, we began to see many common threads as well. We each search for peace, love, kindness, and the ability to offer and receive help from and to others around us.
In 2022, we gathered around a study from the prophets, Wind in the Wilderness by DJ Del Rosario. We prayed for and with one another as well as those we hold near and dear, we read scriptures with one another, and we shared sacred and intimate conversations together. We read and studied from the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Johan with Job, and Zechariah.
In 2023, we have gathered each week to share in the study of the Psalms through Finding Jesus in the Psalms by Barb Roose. We learned to recognize the variations of biblical translations by sharing in the reading of scripture from two or more bibles each week. As Roose wrote, the “Psalms remind us of God’s heart for humanity, especially his intention to offer us unconditional love, grace, and salvation.” We shared personal stories of obstacles and achievements. We shared struggles, heartaches, and joy.
And this most recent Lenten season, we gathered each week to share in the study of Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws by Adam Hamilton led by Pastor Layne. Each week we shared a meager meal of homemade soup (thanks again Pastor Layne), bread, crackers, and water. We read scripture and explored the life of Jesus as told in the Gospel of Luke. We discussed Luke’s account of Jesus as a great storyteller. We discussed the role of women in the Ancient World, Mary and Martha, and Jesus’ concern for women. We read the parables of the Pharisees and the tax collector, the Prodigal Son, and the Rich Man and Lazarus. We even had a few drama skits! We journeyed to Jerusalem with the disciples and Jesus who attempted to prepare them for what lied ahead.
This look back reminds me why Church is so very important to the human spirit. We are each called into a personal relationship with the Divine but it is often through community that we link arms to walk with one another through the peaks and valleys. Although, Easter Sunday is now over but may we not forget the journey to the cross and that we are still on a journey together, a journey of faith, hope and love for one another.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Heidi