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| Our grove chapel on this date last year! |
We
will have ONE service only at 9:00 this coming Sunday,
March 6th and the Fourth
Sunday of Lent, followed coffee hour. The Fourth Sunday of Lent goes by many
names – Laetare Sunday, Mid-Lent,
Refreshment Sunday, and Mothering Sunday. Laetare
(which is Latin for ‘Rejoice”) comes from the opening words of the old Latin
introit for the day from Isaiah 66:10 – Rejoice
with Jerusalem and be glad for her! – By Church tradition, relaxations of
the Lenten penitential observances are allowed ... maybe even encouraged! If we
had rose-colored vestments, this would be the day for them, and spring flowers might
even appear on our altar! So, join us in this day of gentle rejoicing – maybe
even some Simnel cake!
The readings for this Sunday: Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32.
It’s Girl Scout Cookie
month! And once again, Melissa, our Saint
Andrew’s Girl Scout, will be selling cookies. But this year, instead of asking
us to pre-order, she has her actual supply of cookies in stock! Cookies are $4/box and checks should be made out to Kathy Bunker. What an appropriate way to celebrate “Refreshment
Sunday!” (Remember, Sundays – even during Lent –are “little Easters,” and
therefore a break for your Lenten fast! So enjoy your favorite cookies with a
clear conscience, then tuck them away and return to your Lenten fasting on
Monday. J
This Sunday, I will be
presiding, but Betsy
Hess will be our preacher. Betsy is now a postulant for
ordination in our diocese and has been encouraged to seek opportunities to
preach as part of her formation. It is a gift to all of us to have a fresh
voice in the pulpit and to be part of supporting her in her process. Betsy
brings many gifts, including many years of faithful ministry as counselor in
both Berlin and in Western Massachusetts. I certainly look forward to hearing
what she has to say.
Women’s
Lunch Bunch
will meet this coming Wednesday, March 9, at the Mountain
View Station Restaurant in Center Ossipee. This is an informal social gathering open to
all women, non-church-going friends included, and a way to deepen our
friendships with one another. We gather at noon and usually go until about
1:30. Questions: Call Dale Appleton at 539-3761.
Our
Wednesday Simple Soup & Salad Suppers continue
(weather permitting) on March 9th. We will gather in the Prince Room
at 5:30 for a meal and conversation as we explore Growing a Rule of Life. Go to www.SSJE.org/growrule for details and
to receive daily reflection questions by email. Feel free to come, even if you
were unable to attend the first session. Topics for this session: My
Relationship with Others and My Relationship with Creation.
Food
for thought …
God
the Holy Spirit longs to inspire in us prayer that includes and embraces the
whole of our life. [We have] every opportunity and encouragement to welcome the
Spirit’s transforming grace so that prayer may enter more and more into all
that we are and all that we do. … This deep intention at the heart of our life
to find God in all things means learning to trust that divine companionship
continues undiminished even when we feel only boredom and frustration. We can
learn to stay still in our experience of numbness and resistance, and trust
that Christ is just as truly alive in our hearts in these times as in those in
which we enjoy the sense of his presence. from the Rule of
the Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Blessings as we enjoy these Lengthening days of
Lent!
See you in church.
Heidi+
See you in church.
Heidi+
