March 2025

On March 5 this year, we will begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Our congregation is joining others in an ecumenical service hosted by Grace UCC at 535 S. 3rd Avenue at 7 pm. It will be dark outside as we are marked by dark ashes on our forehead or hand. We gather to recognize and repent of the burned and broken parts of our lives as we enter the 40 days of Lent.

A decent consultant would advise us that this is not an effective way to attract or keep positive and happy people in the church. Why would we have a service followed by a long season that appears to promote guilt, shame, and even self-loathing? Couldn’t we focus on celebrating the victory and hope of Easter instead of lamenting the brokenness of our will and world?

Deep down, we admit that we are human. We struggle to have loving relationships with God, people, creation, and ourselves. Rather than putting what little strength we have into pretending all is well, God welcomes our vulnerability and weakness with love and grace. God is closest to those with broken hearts and crushed spirits (Psalm 34:18).

The theme for Lent this year is “Hurt We Carry, Hope We Find.” Being  human and not feeling hurt in our relationships is hard. Coming to God with our individual and communal pain and regret cleanses our guilt and shame. We admit how we have allowed anything less than the goodness and grace of God to live through us. Within that process, we will be prepared to celebrate victorious hope through our Savior, who defeated sin and death.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Rebecca