As I scrolled back through the last three Lenten seasons, I was reminded of how much we have
experienced together over that time together. Each Lenten season, we gathered on Wednesday evenings 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, as a richly diverse group,
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 co-workers, 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.
And this Lenten season, we have gathered each week to share in the study of the Psalms through
discussion led by Pastor Layne using Finding Jesus in the Psalms by Barb Roose. We have 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 have shared personal stories of obstacles
and achievements. We have shared struggles, heartaches, and joy.
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. As we each continue on our Lenten journey, I hope you will join
us for all of the opportunities to be together during Holy Week as we make our way to Easter Sunday to
celebrate the Risen Christ.
Shalom,
Pastor Heidi