Lent 2021—A Time to Reconnect
Who would have thought that we would be starting the Season of Lent this year with COVID-19 still interrupting our lives?! Yet here we are. Lent this year will look different than it has before.
We often talk about Lent as a time for self-examination, repentance, changing direction, and spiritual disciplines. All of those practices are important. But we so often focus on a personal level that we forget that we also live in community. The social distance of pandemic has made it hard to get together, to worship together, to serve together.
Pastor Debbie, Pastor Roger and I have been talking about where God is leading us for this season. One of the most significant issues we have identified is the need to reconnect. We invite you to use this as a season to reconnect—with yourself, with your church, with your neighbor, with your God. True, we still have to comply with the rules of social distancing and other health care precautions. But our hope is that we can still use this time creatively and spiritually, trusting in God to “bind us together in love.”
One powerful tool for reconnecting is to share our stories, our journeys—both individually and as a faith community. During the coming weeks, we will be asking you to share your stories. Some stories may be appropriate for sharing publicly; others may be very personal. All of these stories are part of the “Holy Ground” we walk upon. We will be looking for ways to collect and share, as appropriate, those stories that connect us as a community. We will be offering more details in the next few weeks.
For now, let me invite you to respond to this question: “Who are you?” The question may be simple, but it can become quite deep, as well. You don’t have to get too deep at the moment. We will get deeper as time goes on. Think of it this way. If you were introducing yourself to someone new to the church, what would you tell them about yourself?
You might take a few moments to jot down the things you would say.
This Lent, we have the opportunity to rediscover who we are and why we are gathered together in this community we call Scottsville United Methodist Church. Our prayer, though, is that you also will discover something even more important. We pray that you will discover more deeply what it means to be a child of God!
Ash Wednesday
On Ash Wednesday, Christians have traditionally received the imposition of ashes, traced on our foreheads or our hands in the shape of a cross, reminding us that from dust we were made and to dust we will return. Because of COVID restrictions, we will not be holding our customary time to receive the imposition of ashes. But we invite you instead to a different way of gathering online this Wednesday, February 17, at 7:00 pm. Watch for an email containing the links to connect to this special time together.
You don’t need ashes. But if you are able to gather a small amount of soil from a flower bed, it might give a tangible way to make the same point.
We hope you will join us!