Spending time with God is critical to hearing from him.
-How is your time with God?
-Are you able to hear him through
the Bible?
-How often do you feel filled by
the spirit?
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Ash Wednesday Review
Ash Wednesday
“Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” Isaiah 58:12
“Lord, who throughout these forty days for us didst fast and pray, teach us with thee to mourn our sins and close by thee to stay.” “Lord Who throughout These Forty Days” vs. 1, by Claudia F. Hernaman
As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded yet again to pray and to fast… to pray and to act… it is more than praying on its own. Images of prayer fill my mind… traditional ones… head down, eyes closed, and speaking quietly to God. But there are so many other images we can consider… prayers with action… praying and planting trees… praying and walking.
Living in the greater Bethlehem area… we pray and we act. Last week, we planted trees as a response to prayer in action. Trees had been uprooted in a valley, and the response by the Palestinian Christian family was to replant and to plant more trees.* This season of Lent, what are the ways you too can pray and act? The Palm Sunday palms have become the ashes… the destruction of trees has become the opportunity for grace through action.
Amazing and ever loving God, as we begin the season of Lent, may we be reminded through your grace how we are to love through prayers and action. Amen.
-Rev. Kristen L. Brown Global Ministries Mission Liaison to Palestine and Israel
*Post note: for more information about the Nassar family, please check out their web site www.tentofnations.org In May 2014 some 1800 trees were uprooted during the night in the valley of their farm land. This happened days before the apricot harvest. The variety of trees uprooted included apricot, olive, grape vines, apple, and almonds. The winter months are the tree planting time… so each Saturday, weather permitting, people gather to help replant trees, the hope it to plant some 3000 fruit trees to replace those which were uprooted.
Sadly these kinds of things happen in too many places in the West Bank of Occupied Palestine.
“Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” Isaiah 58:12
“Lord, who throughout these forty days for us didst fast and pray, teach us with thee to mourn our sins and close by thee to stay.” “Lord Who throughout These Forty Days” vs. 1, by Claudia F. Hernaman
As we enter the season of Lent, we are reminded yet again to pray and to fast… to pray and to act… it is more than praying on its own. Images of prayer fill my mind… traditional ones… head down, eyes closed, and speaking quietly to God. But there are so many other images we can consider… prayers with action… praying and planting trees… praying and walking.
Living in the greater Bethlehem area… we pray and we act. Last week, we planted trees as a response to prayer in action. Trees had been uprooted in a valley, and the response by the Palestinian Christian family was to replant and to plant more trees.* This season of Lent, what are the ways you too can pray and act? The Palm Sunday palms have become the ashes… the destruction of trees has become the opportunity for grace through action.
Amazing and ever loving God, as we begin the season of Lent, may we be reminded through your grace how we are to love through prayers and action. Amen.
-Rev. Kristen L. Brown Global Ministries Mission Liaison to Palestine and Israel
*Post note: for more information about the Nassar family, please check out their web site www.tentofnations.org In May 2014 some 1800 trees were uprooted during the night in the valley of their farm land. This happened days before the apricot harvest. The variety of trees uprooted included apricot, olive, grape vines, apple, and almonds. The winter months are the tree planting time… so each Saturday, weather permitting, people gather to help replant trees, the hope it to plant some 3000 fruit trees to replace those which were uprooted.
Sadly these kinds of things happen in too many places in the West Bank of Occupied Palestine.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. On Ash Wednesday, ashes are put on your forehead in the shape of a cross. These ashes are made by burning palm leaves which have been saved from last year’s Palm Sunday.
Ash Wednesday is also when we begin to give up something and take something on to help us to improve our relationship with God.
Ash Wednesday is also when we begin to give up something and take something on to help us to improve our relationship with God.
Scripture Readings:
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; Ps 51:1-17; 2 Cor 5:20b-6:10; Mt 6:1-6, 16-21
During lent it is a tradition to give something up for the duration of Lent and to take something on. For example, giving up television for two hours a night and taking on reading your Bible more. This tradition helps us to see what it is that we are putting before God in our lives and to give more time to service God and others.
What is Lent?
What is this thing we call Lent?
Lent is one of the seasons of our church calendar. Like the other calendar we use which has spring, summer, winter and fall. The church calendar has seasons too. Advent is the first season which leads us up to Christmas which leads us to Epiphany. After Epiphany is the season of Lent. The season of Lent is forty days, not county Sundays. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday
(Saturday before Easter).
The word lent comes from lencten which means “spring.”
Why 40 days? It represents the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness and endured the temptation of Satan and prepared him to begin his ministry. Today we spend those 40 days focusing on our relationship with God.
Why are Sundays not counted? Sundays are a “mini-Easter” a day we celebrate the Resurrection.
Why do we give something up during lent? During the 40 days of lent it has become tradition to give something up. This practice helps us get rid of selfish desires and distractions while taking on a new life-giving practice.
Lent is one of the seasons of our church calendar. Like the other calendar we use which has spring, summer, winter and fall. The church calendar has seasons too. Advent is the first season which leads us up to Christmas which leads us to Epiphany. After Epiphany is the season of Lent. The season of Lent is forty days, not county Sundays. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday
(Saturday before Easter).
The word lent comes from lencten which means “spring.”
Why 40 days? It represents the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness and endured the temptation of Satan and prepared him to begin his ministry. Today we spend those 40 days focusing on our relationship with God.
Why are Sundays not counted? Sundays are a “mini-Easter” a day we celebrate the Resurrection.
Why do we give something up during lent? During the 40 days of lent it has become tradition to give something up. This practice helps us get rid of selfish desires and distractions while taking on a new life-giving practice.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Lent 2016
Check out this months newsletter which includes our Lent Family Devotional. We have paper copies available in the Life Works Chapel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)