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Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011

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Lenten Meditations 2012

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Downtown Holy Week Services

During Holy Week, churches in the downtown area will hold a mid-day service and lunch. Except on Friday, services begin at noon with lunch following. The suggested donation for lunch is $5.

Monday, April 2: First Baptist - Noon

Tuesday, April 3: First Presbyterian - Noon

Wednesday, April 4: Central Christian - Noon

Thursday, April 5: Maundy Thursday evening services at various churches

Friday, April 6: St. Paul’s Episcopal - 11:30 a.m. lunch, Noon worship service

Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Psalms 32, 95, 102, 130, 143; Jonah 3:1-4:11; Heb. 12:1-14; Luke 18:9-14

Those verses in Psalm 143 which ask God to "teach me the way I should go . . . and to do [His] will" speak very powerfully to me. I need to ask this every day so that I am reminded to examine carefully what I do and whether that is what God wants me to do. This is a constant question for me, and I know that I fall short on most days. I put my will before His, and I choose my own way. Why do I do this when being a Christian is now so much easier than in times past -- and, in our time, in some places? Personalizing verse 4 in Hebrews 12, I am reminded that "in [my] struggle against sin, [I] have not yet resisted [sin] to the point of shedding [my] blood." I do not have to shed my blood -- praise God -- but I do have to resist sin on a daily/hourly basis.

To help me, I have the Lord and also the great "cloud of witnesses" who have gone before. I have so much help and yet I do not use what is there. I must stay in close touch with God; I must ask Him to teach me and show me His will every day. The best time for me to do this is when I first awake, asking God to "Let me hear in the morning of thy steadfast love, for in thee I put my trust." Prayer and study in the morning prepare me for the day and remind me of the commitment I have made and the covenant I need to keep.

Posted on Wed, March 9, 2011 by Lenten Meditations filed under

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2012 Lenten Series

Our Lenten observances this year include daily Morning and Evening Prayer and Stations of the Cross. I encourage you to deepen your Lenten experience by participating in these worship services as you are able. The heart of our Lenten observance is the teaching series on Wednesday evenings. This year's series is entitled "Finishing Well."

This year's series focuses on the questions: What does it mean to finish well? What steps must we take to prepare for our deaths? These are important questions for Christians to ponder -- both young and old.

The first two weeks (February 29 and March 7) will be led by Dr. Cynthia Crysdale, Professor of Christian Ethics and Theology at the School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee. Dr. Crysdale will teach us about the theological underpinnings of Finishing Well.

Week three (March 14) will be led by Jim Dooley, Director of Concord Baptist Senior Adult Program and founder and director of Senior Connections. Mr. Dooley will give us an overview of caregiving for our loved ones and a program he is developing entitled "It's about Time."

Week four (March 21) will feature two of our bright young attorneys, Theodore Goodman and Jeremy Cothern, who will lead us through the legal essentials of finishing well.

Fr. Polk and Fr. Colin will finish up in week five (March 28) as we plan our own funeral services.

The series will begin on Wednesday, February 29 and run for five consecutive Wednesday evenings. A soup supper will be served beginning at 5:30 pm. There is a small charge for supper. A brief liturgy begins at 6:15 p.m. in St. Andrew's Chapel followed by the teaching series. We will be finished no later than 7:15 p.m. Child care is available.

While we often put off or resist thinking about our mortality, Lent is an appropriate time to learn, both theologically and practically, how to "Finish Well."