Pastoral note, from Garrett
Our annual pancake supper and potluck will be held Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. This year, the event will be a potluck. We encourage you to bring yogurt, fruits, breakfast meats, or egg dishes to share. The church will provide the pancakes and drinks. This event is for all ages.
The pancake supper is also a “mixer” for the church at Woodland and our English-as-a-second language (ESL) community. Several ESL students are Muslims, so it would be great if we didn’t serve pork. This would be a good night to bust out the turkey bacon or breakfast brisket.
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Rev. Mark Roberts once said, “In a world that often expects us to be perfect, Ash Wednesday gives us an opportunity to freely confess our imperfections. We can let down our pretenses and be truly honest with each other about who we are.” Our Ash Wednesday service will be at 6 p.m. in the Atrium. This short service includes the imposition of ashes and communion by intinction.
Our theme this Lent is “Rhīz.” A rhizome is a horizontal, underground plant stem that produces roots and shoots. Each piece of rhizome with a node can grow into a new plant. Most rhizomes grow underground. Their productivity is hidden. To me, this is a good metaphor for the work we do in Lent. Prayer, fasting, study, and acts of generosity and compassion are often accomplished in obscurity. Our spiritual disciplines don’t garner headlines, but they can significantly impact our lives and the lives of the communities in which we are invested.
Also, the roots of our faith don’t just form a foundation on which something else grows—the roots themselves are incredibly productive and alive. Your prayers, study, patience, kindness, and worship affect those around you beyond what you see or know. Your faith may feel hidden or underground sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective.
It also helps that “Rhiz” rhymes with “Rise.” See what I did there? OK, so it might be a little cheesy. But maybe we need that this Lent.
Grace and peace,
Garrett Vickrey