Dear friends,
Greetings in the name of the one who journeys with us, Jesus Christ our Lord. One of the prayers included in Voices United speaks about Jesus being our companion on the journey.
God of the Way, you are the road we travel, and the sign we follow; you are bread for the journey, and the wine of arrival. Guide us as we follow in your way, holding on to each other, reaching out to your beloved world. And when we stray, seek us out and find us, set our feet on the path again, and lead us safely home. In the name of Jesus, our Companion, we pray. Amen. (From Voices United #648)
To say that the pandemic has been challenging is an understatement. We are eleven months into the provincial state of emergency, including the fluctuating public health restrictions. Most of us are fatigued. We long for a return to a time when social distancing and masks are not the norm. We long to be able to physically connect with one another. And yet in all of this there have been and will be opportunities to discover new ways to be a vibrant community of faith. Our Lent in a Bag project is one such opportunity. In the bag there is something for everyone. If you are crafty I hope you enjoy making a beaded cross. If you like to bake or are learning to bake I hope you will enjoy making Resurrection Rolls. There is an evocative article in the bag from Patience Salgado called “When the storm blows you together”. And if you want a daily activity during Lent, there is a Lenten calendar and self care calendar. Dig in to the bag and enjoy.
Lent is an opportunity for us to connect with the biblical themes of preparation and journey. In those sacred stories may we find the places where our stories resonate with the challenges and joys that are discovered when we walk the road to Jerusalem with one another and with Jesus. Salgado talks about the surprising joy that is found when storms in our lives blow us together.
How will we as a community of faith be blown together in the coming weeks and months?
I hope you enjoy this material and I hope that I will see you soon. Stay connected, stay safe.
Yours in Christ’s Service,
Rev. Stephen Fram