Greetings!
We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. But maybe we should pray for miracles, as Presbyterian poet Ann Weems invites us to do in this poem from Ash Wednesday 2003. Note the echoes of Psalm 51 ("Create in me a clean heart O God.")
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.

I pray that stone hearts will turn
to tenderheartedness,
and evil intentions will turn
to mercifulness....

Read whole poem here:
We can help with the miracles through financial gifts. I'm grateful that the Session concurred with the recommendation of the Mission Committee to authorize a special offering through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, for Ukraine. More info below.

Along with prayers and financial gifts, I believe it's vital for us as Christians to continue to open ourselves to God's transforming love and to embody that love however we can.

In the spirit of our Lenten theme of talking about Jesus, I'm reading The Universal Christ by Richard Rohr, a fascinating and deep reflection on God's broad love for the world and God's presence within us.
"The point of the Christian life is not to distinguish oneself from the ungodly, but to stand in radical solidarity with everyone and everything else."

--Richard Rohr
in The Universal Christ, p. 32

Click on the cover image to learn more about the book.
Most of us can only imagine what the Ukranian people are facing with the Russian military onslaught. To get a glimpse of their new reality, to stand in "radical solidarity" with them for at least a few minutes, check out "The Daily" podcast from the New York Times: Inside Ukraine's Embattled Cities.
The season of Lent continues, and I hope you'll take advantage of the opportunities for spiritual growth, particularly reading the Gospel according to John with the help of our Covenant devotional. We have hard copies at church, or contact the church office to get a daily email through the season.

May we all keep discovering and experiencing the transforming love of God.
On the journey together,
Charlie 
Worship
  • In-Person and Livestream services at 9:00 & 11:00am
  • Visit our Worship HQ for everything you need to worship with us online!
  • Let's Talk About Jesus Lenten Sermon Series Week 2
  • Rev. Kathleen Owens - "I Am the Light of the World" (John 8:12-16, 9:1-7)
  • "Talking About Jesus" testimony from Eric Wendorff
  • Music from Ben Welch, Doug McNeel, and Covenant Choir
  • Children's Time with Marge Resan
  • Kaleidoscope Kids during 9:00 service
  • Sunday School classes from 10:00-10:50

If you missed a service or would like to watch a service again, all livestreamed services are saved to our YouTube channel. Or you can give the sermons another listen on our sermon podcast!
Adult Education
Join us Sunday at 10:00am in person OR on Zoom for Adult Education! Sunday’s class is “An Overview of the Book of John” led by Melissa Hardy. This Lenten Season, we are focusing on the book of John. Please join us for an overview of the book using resources from The BibleProject, a non-profit animation studio that produces short-form, fully animated videos to make Bible stories accessible to everyone.
 
Missed a previous class or want to re watch one? Adult Ed classes are recorded and shared on our Adult Ed page and YouTube page.
On Sunday, we welcome Rev. Kathleen Owens as our guest preacher. She is currently a stay-at-home parent living in Verona with her husband, two children, and three cats. Kathleen previously served as pastor at Westminster Presbyterian in Madison and First Presbyterian in Oregon. Kathleen has also served in a number of capacities in John Knox Presbytery and the Madison region, including Moderator of the Presbytery and as a member of the Board of Directors for Pres House at UW-Madison.
On Sunday, as we focus on Jesus being the Light of the World, we want to remind you of your Epiphany Star – or, if you haven’t gotten one, you can pick one up in the gathering space on Sunday! Each star has a single word on it that will serve as your "mantra" for the year. Let this star serve as your guide for 2022 as it did for the wise men at Epiphany.
We have a collection going for teachers and staff of Glenn Stephens Elementary School, one of our mission partners. SUNDAY IS THE LAST DAY TO DONATE! Please bring individually wrapped items to the gathering space. Suggested snacks: pretzels, low-fat/air-popped popcorn, whole grain crackers, rice cakes, veggie chips, fruit bars, whole grain cereal bars, sparkling water, diet soda, vitamin water, fruit juice. Thank you! 
Lenten Vespers - Wednesdays at 6:00pm
On Wednesdays during Lent, we offer 30-minute LIVESTREAM ONLY worship services through April 6 on our YouTube channel. Each week will include a time of prayer, a short conversation with a Covenant member about their faith journey, and a time of music to draw us into the season and spirit of Lent as we ponder the life of Jesus and his journey to the cross. If you missed last week's, feel free to watch it above.

Next week's Vespers (March 16) will include a conversation with Doug McNeel about his faith journey, and music by Emily Allen (cello) and Eric Tran (piano).
NCAA Basketball!
For several years, dozens of Covenant people have filled out a bracket for some friendly competition during "March Madness" of the NCAA tournaments, through ESPN.com. Join the fun this year!
Men's Tournament
Last year, ten of the 25 participants picked Gonzaga, and no one picked Baylor, who defeated Gonzaga in the championship game. The top three finishers were:
  1. Nick Von Bergen
  2. Bret Larget
  3. Drew Simon

To join this year's group go to ESPN and search for the group "CovPresMadison--Men". The password is "Learning" Or click here: Join CovPresMadison--Men
Women's Tournament
Last year, Stanford won it all, beating Arizona by a point. The top three finishers in the Covenant group all picked Stanford.
  1. TJ Sargent
  2. Bret Larget
  3. Nancy Crabb

To join this year's group go to ESPN and search for "CovPresMadison--Women." The password is "Learning" Or click here: Join CovPresMadison--Women
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Don't forget to "spring forward" on Saturday night!