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February 2024

Dear friends,

Grace and Peace to you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It’s February and Lent is coming soon! Do you know the origin of the word Lent? Fun fact, it is a  shortening of the Old English word Lencten, which means to Lengthen, which is in reference to the lengthening of the days during the Spring season as the Sun makes its return. The church season of Lent takes place in the Spring, and culminates with Holy Week and the return of  The Son on Easter Sunday.

But, before we talk more about Lent, let’s talk about Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day this year. Isn’t that weird? I’m sure it has happened before, but I have no recollection of the two holidays coinciding. I’m sure that many of you have romantic dinner plans, but I would encourage you to join us at 7pm for our Ash Wednesday service; because you can’t spell Valentine without Lent… (I can’t take any credit for that awful joke, I saw it on a
Methodist website.)


As the season of Lent kicks off, we will be joining our ecumenical friends again for dinner and discussions every Wednesday night of the season. This year’s format will be a little bit of a mashup. Some people enjoy a midweek worship service, others enjoy a book study. So, this year we will come together for food and fellowship as usual, then we will have a time that includes some music, some prayer, and some discussion. The discussion will follow a book, but you will not HAVE TO read the book to participate in the discussion, the discussions will be intentionally broad enough to include those who have or have not read the book. If you would like to read the book, it is called The Love that is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith, and it is by Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt. Our first gathering will be at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on February 21st, 6pm meal with music/prayers/conversation to follow. We plan to be done by at least 8pm each week. You can find the other dates and locations in the newsletter.

Please join us on Sundays and Wednesdays as we journey through the season of Lent together.


Your Sibling in Christ,
Pastor Robert