Dear Church Family

               Lent, that 40 day plus 6 Sunday period of spiritual preparation leading to Easter, is upon us.  Forty is a common biblical number (number of days it rained during the flood, years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness), but in relationship to Lent it marks the forty days Jesus was in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted.  Historically it has been a time of reflection and penitence, and often involved refraining from certain foods and drink.  In recent years the emphasis is not so much giving up things, as taking on a spiritual practice such as devotional/ biblical reading, prayer, or engaging in acts of compassion and charity.    The liturgical color for Lent is purple, so I’d invite you to pull out your purples for worship.

               The word “lent” is derived from an old English word meaning “lengthen.”  Lent is associated with the lengthening of days  and the approach of spring.  Thus, while there is a tone of penitence, there is also a lifting of spirit, as the hours of sunshine increase and the assurance of Easter is ahead.

               I admit that getting my first COVID-19 vaccine shot lifted my spirits.  We need to be patient and maintain protocols, to be sure, but we are on the way to healing.  We look forward to social gatherings, with friends, and celebrating holidays with family, and renewing important connections again.   Things are looking brighter, which is always the Lenten hope—that from sadness comes joy, from hatred comes love, from death comes life.

               Our scriptures for this Sunday are Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15.  We’ll be looking at the temptation of Jesus—and our temptations-- in a sermon entitled, “Confronting the Wild Beast.”  The link for those watching online is https://thefv.cc/online-worship/.

               I hope to see many of you on Sunday.

Peace and Joy,

Rich