February 2024 Letter
It seems like we just celebrated Christmas together, and yet now the liturgical calendar reminds us that it is time for Lent, the traditional forty-day period in which we prepare our hearts for the celebration of our Risen Savior-Easter. Perhaps it’s the cold temperatures or the snowfall as I type this, but part of me wants to hold onto Christmas and resist rushing into yet another season. And for the record, for those of you about to ask if this has anything to do with my Christmas tree still being up, I am proud to announce that the tree (and its decorations) have been put away since the second week of January.
To my credit, and to anyone else who is not ready for Lent yet, it does come early this year. Ash Wednesday just happens to fall right on Valentine’s Day. Now, that might throw a bit of a monkey wrench into your romantic Valentine’s Day plans… but if you think about it, the best Valentine’s Day gift we could ever receive has already been given in the form of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. So, it seems quite appropriate that this Valentine’s Day, we begin to refocus our hearts and minds and souls on Him.
It seems like we just celebrated Christmas together, and yet now the liturgical calendar reminds us that it is time for Lent, the traditional forty-day period in which we prepare our hearts for the celebration of our Risen Savior-Easter. Perhaps it’s the cold temperatures or the snowfall as I type this, but part of me wants to hold onto Christmas and resist rushing into yet another season. And for the record, for those of you about to ask if this has anything to do with my Christmas tree still being up, I am proud to announce that the tree (and its decorations) have been put away since the second week of January.
To my credit, and to anyone else who is not ready for Lent yet, it does come early this year. Ash Wednesday just happens to fall right on Valentine’s Day. Now, that might throw a bit of a monkey wrench into your romantic Valentine’s Day plans… but if you think about it, the best Valentine’s Day gift we could ever receive has already been given in the form of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. So, it seems quite appropriate that this Valentine’s Day, we begin to refocus our hearts and minds and souls on Him.
This season of Lent has become one of our favorite times across the parish as we celebrate several special services together, as well as the addition of a Shrove Tuesday (aka Fat Tuesday) Pancake Dinner Church where we will celebrate some of the truly awesome things we have done together as a parish. There will be food; quite likely some music; and hopefully a laugh or two as we REJOICE over all that God has done for us this past year.
As we progress through Lent, we will have several special services across the parish; and I hope that you will join us for all of our special services and events for Lent. Those who attended last year can tell you that Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and our Easter Sunrise Service were all truly uniquely beautiful and meaningful services. Make sure you check out the information about the upcoming services and mark your calendars accordingly. We hope to see all of you there!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy