Dear friends,
For the first half of February, I will be enjoying my second month of sabbatical, hopefully soaking in the sunshine! Fran and I will be in Homosassa River, Florida, and we plan to kayak, bike, swim (maybe with the manatees but not with the alligators), and take lots of photos. I am looking forward to spending time working on our Resilience in Community project.
I am excited to have this precious time for renewal. And I will be sad to miss the special worship series happening at Edwards Church. The guest preachers are wonderful colleagues who are part of a clergy group Karen Nell and I attend.
The theme is a fascinating one: First Followers. You will hear about some of the lesser-known early followers of Jesus. What inspired them? What gave them courage? What can we learn from them? I am eager to hear your thoughts on these disciples.
The series moves us beautifully into our Lenten theme, “Traveling Together Toward Easter.” We shift our focus from people in biblical times to our lives today. What does it mean for us to follow Jesus? Who travels with us, and how do they inspire and encourage us? What are the qualities we see in the people who help us on our journeys?
As always, we will explore our Lenten theme from a variety of perspectives. Our worship services will draw upon gospel stories that highlight qualities of faith. Our music will be especially meaningful, as it will reflect the ideas of members of our choir and music class. We are envisioning digital banners and perhaps some videos in worship. And, of course, we will have our Lenten Devotional (see below for more details).
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22. We will have a noontime service, with special music by Jane Ezbicki, on the theme, “Unpacking for the Journey.” With most travels, we pack all the things we think we need. When we are traveling with Jesus and each other toward Easter, we are invited to unpack the baggage that gets in our way. Following the service, we will fortify ourselves for our Lenten travels with a soup lunch. That evening, there will be a simple service on Zoom.
I look forward to traveling together toward Easter!
Peace, Debbie