Next Wednesday, the 22nd, is Ash Wednesday. We will gather at the Valley Church at 7:00 for a worship service during which we will mark the sign of the cross on our foreheads in ashes as a sign of repentance, an acknowledgement of our own mortality and our dependence on God. Those ashes, made from last year's Palm Sunday palms and slips of paper containing our prayers to God about amending our lives from our New Year's service, will carry us through the days of Lent on to Good Friday and Easter morn.
We have four special invitations for you during Lent.
First, join us for that solemn and meaningful service on the 22nd and then, if you can, each Wednesday night during the season. We will have soup suppers at 6:00 p.m. at the Valley and worship at 7:00 p.m. Worship will feature the beautiful Holden Evening Service we've been using the last few years.
Second, the talks during those evening services following Ash Wednesday will not, for the most part, be given by me. Instead people from our church will share stories of their faith appropriate to the Lenten season. The theme is faith through struggle, growth through perseverance. We still have a couple spots open for people to speak. If you have a personal story about beauty, strength, or faith you've found emerging from difficult or bittersweet journeys--maybe something you've gained and something you've lost at the same time--talk to me. We might like you to speak. You don't have to talk a long time. You don't have to be elaborate. You can tell your story however you wish. The people gathered would be strengthened themselves by hearing it.
Third, though we're putting a hold on our Thursday Night group during Lent, the better to concentrate on Wednesday services, we will hold one special Thursday in mid-March. I will come to the church at 7:00 on Thursday, March 8th to hear individual confession. Though we confess our sins each Sunday sometimes we need to speak personal words about things that are bothering us and hear a personal word of forgiveness and absolution. I will wear my robes and stole. Everything people say will be under the seal of confession which cannot be broken. Those who come will have a chance to approach the altar, speak what's on their mind, perhaps reflect, and hear that they are forgiven. If you desire, we certainly invite you to come that evening from 7:00-8:00 at the Valley.
Finally, in similar vein, I'd like to make a new offer for the season. Sometimes repenting or wanting to change in the midst of struggle is the easy part. Actually finding the strength to work through that process, to follow through with intent, can be hard. I will open my heart and time in a special way for 2-3 people individually during this Lenten season. For these 40 days (not every day exactly, but meeting at different times during Lent) I will walk with you through something you're struggling with or desire to change. It doesn't have to be an ultra-serious thing. It could be a habit you wish to break or a small thing you wish to adjust about your life. It could be a time of reflection to help you sort out semi-identified difficulties and find a way forward. Maybe something's been nagging you that you mean to address or talk about that you never have. Maybe you'd like to resolve to get better at something or to find a healthier behavior pattern. Small or overwhelming, routine or serious, whatever you bring we will walk through together with God.
If you wish to take this personal journey, e-mail me, call, or let me know at church. We'll make arrangements for you and I to meet during Lent and perhaps come out the other side with more clarity, maybe even in a new place, when Easter arrives.
Prepare your hearts for Lent and join us for the unique journey to the cross and beyond.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
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