Pastor's Message

February 2024

God’s beloved people,

Ash Wed. (Feb 14) and Lent come early this year, because Easter is March 31st.  And Easter, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus, is early because we have a full moon on March 25th, right after the Spring Equinox on March 20th.  Some of us pastor types secretly hope to standardize Easter on perhaps the second Sunday of April, but……tradition!

Ash Wednesday, as you know, marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent, which don’t include Sundays, which are always “little Easters.”  Lent comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning “to lengthen”.  The daylight hours are gradually getting longer as winter turns into spring.  This is good news for those of us with a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Although on Feb 14th we still have quite a ways to go!

Lent calls us to “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Joel 2:13.  Lent is a more penitential time of the church year, which gets us ready to observe the main things of our Christian faith during holy week: the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus.  Prayer, fasting, confession and forgiveness, Bible Study,

worship, giving to charity, and works of love toward our neighbors in need are some of the disciplines of Lent which help us to “Return to the Lord your God.”  They are not ways to somehow earn our way into heaven.  Jesus has already made the way for us through his cross and resurrection.  But the disciplines of Lent help draw us into a deeper relationship with our loving God and with our neighbors in need.”

“Just a closer walk with thee, grant it Jesus is my plea.  Daily walking close to thee, let it be dear Lord, let it be.”  ELW #697

Grace, peace, love, joy in Jesus,         

Pastor Dennis