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Dear Saint Mark Family,
I pray you are still observing a holy Lent, and are attending to your inner life, even as you learn the abundant and life-giving ways of God, as you journey with Christ throughout these 40 days.
Yesterday, while reading a daily devotional by Father Richard Rohr, I thought about how you might be faring in your Lenten journey. This week he is sharing on the tradition of pilgrimage. He writes that for pilgrimages “… the interesting thing is the spirituality behind it. It [is] an exercise in letting go, a search for wonder, a constant discovery of the new.”
You have begun your pilgrimage with Jesus, as he sets his face towards Jerusalem. I know the journey will take you out of your comfort zones. You may be longing to break the fast you have taken on one day each week during Lent, or to stop practicing whatever spiritual discipline you had started. I know you may be ready to pick back up whatever you had let go of when you began on Ash Wednesday, because the journey of 40 days is not as easy as it seemed when you started. And I know you may be ready to rush to the end. But there are such rich treasures to be found in the journey, such inner lessons and awareness to be learned, and life disciplines to be developed. And there is such grace to be received. So continue the journey. Do not give in, and do not lose heart. There are blessings in the journey, and you are not walking it alone, for Christ is with you.
Here are a few things I want to bring to your attention:
1. Milk Money – Lenten Giving for Mission
Please remember to take a Milk Money carton if you have not done so already. You can ask an usher for one, or take one from the basket in the narthex. As you put your funds in the carton (in lieu of whatever habit you have let go of during Lent) please pray for those who the funds will be used to serve.
We will be collecting the cartons in worship Easter morning. We will pray over them and give them directly to the designated areas of mission.
2. Easter Egg Hunt
We will be hosting a community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th, from noon until 2pm. This will be one of the ways we will show the love of God to our neighbors and connect with our Midtown community. There will be games and music, face painting, and candies, lots and lots of candies. And we will need volunteers. Please sign up to be a volunteer, and help us to welcome our neighbors and show the love of God to them.
3. Pilgrimage to the Holy Land
The invitation is still open for you to join me on our pilgrimage to Israel. Now is the time to register if you plan on going. The trip is open to members and non-members, so invite friends and family to come along with us. The dates are October 10-19, 2023.
4. The Chapel
Have you passed by the chapel lately? The tiling of the floor is almost completed, and I am looking forward to getting to worship inside again. Please look, but do not go inside. It is under renovation, and the tiles need to be properly set. We will have a rededication of our beloved chapel, once all the renovations are completed.
5. Prayer Walk this Sunday
Please remember there will only be one service this Sunday at 11am, as we have planned to do our quarterly prayer walk of our neighborhood. The forecast is for inclement weather, but we see what Sunday brings. If there is rain, we can do a change of plan and go in small groups for lunch at different restaurants in the neighborhood, and pray while there. Please dress comfortably and according to the weather. Whatever the weather, I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.
Continue observing a holy Lent, and may you grow in grace and favor.
God’s richest blessings,
Pastor Carolyn.
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