Tuesday, March 3, 2009

March newsletter

I had to wait to post this so that the references would make sense. Sometimes it's a challenge, writing something you know will be read after the events you are trying to describe, which haven't happened yet.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…” (Matthew 25:35)
Although I am writing in late February, by the time you are reading this, it will probably be March, and we will have completed the 30 Hour Famine. A group of youth from our parish, supported by lots of adult volunteers, will likely have learned a new appreciation for this verse from Matthew. By fasting for thirty hours, we experience first-hand what it is like to be hungry—and by collecting donations from sponsors, we play a part in giving food to people who are hungry, not just for one day, but every day of their lives.

At the same time, it’s also the first week in Lent, a time when we reflect on what it means for us to be baptized children of God. (Historically, Lent started as a time of preparation for new Christians who would be baptized on Easter.) If, as we claim, we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, what difference does that make for us?

We explore this question in Lent, as we remember the story of what Jesus has done for our sake. That’s part of what we are doing at the 30 Hour Famine, or at our mid-week Lenten services, or on Sundays, or in our regular daily devotions. We even think about Jesus’ suffering and death, not because it’s depressing and we want to make ourselves feel guilty, but because Jesus’ death two thousand years ago has a real effect on our lives here and now. And because, even in Lent, we know what happens next: Easter is coming!
~Pastor Sarah

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