A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: ENTERING LENT WITH INTENTION
Grace and peace to you,
First, thank you all for the warm welcome I received last Sunday. I am grateful to be here and working with you all as your Transitional Pastor.
Over the next weeks, I will be reaching out to have
conversations, attending meetings to learn about the work of the church, and getting to know all of you. In my first few days here, one thing is apparent – there is great love for this community of faith, and great hope in discerning what God might be calling you to be and do at this time in your 150 year history.
Second, we have entered the Season of Lent, a time that invites us to be intentional. Lent asks us, how will we go deeper these next six weeks? How will we grow closer to God and our neighbor? What will we do to strengthen your faith?
Much like Christ, Lent invites us to go deeper, to repent, which really means to turn back to God and away from all that keeps us from growing closer. Because, despite our best efforts, that soul-tending work is often easier said than done. So, instead of entering this season already feeling behind, let us enter this season with honesty. Let us enter this season aware of our hopes, and aware of the challenges. Let us enter this season wrapped in God’s grace, trusting that God will be our guide.
The Gospel of Luke will guide us in Lent. We will also add selections from various Psalms each Sunday. This Sunday, I will be preaching on the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Who are you in this story? Are you the expert who asks the question? Are you the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan (we like to think of ourselves as the hero, don’t we?). Or are you the one who has been robbed and injured? Let’s explore on Sunday.
After the 11:15 a.m. service, we will hold a short congregational meeting to elect our third trustee, Sheldon Cooper (it will also be livestreamed – meet Sheldon on the next page). You are then invited to join a discussion table and think further about the story of the Good Samaritan. Come and see this Sunday!
Pastor Karen