Rachel Fitch, Pastoral Resident
As we prepare for Neil’s retirement and then Franklin’s, we give thanks for their ministry and presence among us, for God’s work through them.
In the midst of the celebrations and then changes that are coming, we are also reminded of the repetition of our liturgical calendar.
In a week and a half Lent will begin again. You may remember exactly where you were last year or many years ago on this day. You, like me, might have been in a different congregation or city. Or, you may have been right here in Greensboro. Our world looks different from a few years ago, and our congregation looks different.
In the midst of the change, in the midst of the questions, we gather, all the same. We will impose ashes on our foreheads, remembering that from dust we come and to dust we will return. We take these weeks to reflect, thinking about how we are creatures in the hand of a good Creator and pondering the hard questions of life. We take this time to slow down, to read and pray, to ponder.
And, as we move through the weeks, we move closer to Holy Week. We move from darkness toward light. We prepare to remember the Last Supper given to the disciples, the death of Christ, the waiting and worrying of Saturday, and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday. A celebration that reminds us of the new life offered through Christ, eternal life.
As, amidst the changes, this season nears once again, I invite you to think about your days and schedule.
Perhaps this season it looks like setting something aside to make more room for quiet and presence. Perhaps it looks like picking something up. If you are looking for a group, if you are looking for a way to reflect with others, I invite you to think about joining one of the small group book studies.
As I read through Henri Nouwen’s Making All Things New in preparation to lead a group on it, his words, written in 1981, on the worries and busyness that is pervasive in our culture appear as relevant as ever. And, as he writes of Jesus’ focus being purely on God the Father, Nouwen invites us to root our focus in the kingdom. Just as this book offers space for reflection, so to do the other wonderful selection of books.
As we prepare for Lent, for the imposing of ashes, I invite you to think and pray about how you might be called to observe this time.
Join us for the Imposition of Ashes service on March 2 at 6 pm in the sanctuary.
