March 2, 2022
A blessed Ash Wednesday to you all.
In this season of both Lent and war, I am reminded of the words of Christian educator and nun, Jane Marie Murry, who described the Christian life as a battle.
“What the Christian warfare means is giving up sin and building up ways of virtue in place of sin. This is not done without effort and a real struggle. Actually, for each person, it means mobilizing their energies and facing the enemy right on the front lines and battling there. While the precise character of the battle varies with the individual person, the weapons the church provides are the same for all. Each person will find that these weapons meet her or his individual needs in the battle. These weapons are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.”
Sister Jane lived through both World Wars, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam War, and obviously felt more comfortable with such militaristic language for faith than I do. Likewise, her piety is different from mine. Still, the thought that we are all, like it or not, are engaged in a struggle of faith that is like a battle, seems very appropriate at this time. On the individual level, it is a battle for growing in grace and faith against our less faithful selves. On the global level it means promoting God’s justice, peace, and compassion as part of God’s saving and redeeming work in the world in a time of war.
Might we all pray for each other in our Lenten journey this year, pray the psalms with each other, and together be God’s light on the corner of Bellevue and Pike, or wherever we might find ourselves. May God prepare us for the challenges that await us when we do.
For about a quarter-century, many of you found yourselves sharing our church building with the Bethany Slavic Church, who were Ukrainians. Of course, the theme of war is even closer to them than it is to us. My letter to those friends from me on behalf of you all is below. May you continue to pray for these our sisters and brothers whose homeland is under siege.
Though we are not directly engaged in conflict, we do well to be vigilant in and around our church. This past Sunday a wallet and phone were extracted from a purse during coffee hour. Our church is often a place where people come to get out of the weather or use our restrooms on Sunday mornings. If you see someone you do not recognize, please introduce yourself to them and learn who they are and why they are here. We want people who come here to feel welcome to join us in worship. We also want to steer people away from the temptation to steal or otherwise make choices that can harm others or themselves. Never hesitate to bring such individuals to my attention.
I would like to bring to your attention that on Sunday, March 13, after our 10 am worship service, we will hold a memorial service for our late friend, Bonita Blake. Please mark that on your calendars. We will have a reception after that service. I invite you all to join your voices in thanking God for the life of our sister Bonita, as well as to come together to acknowledge and grieve the loss of Bonita from our church family.
These continue to be challenging days. And that probably won’t change anytime soon. But, by the grace of God, we are up to that challenge. Resourced by the Spirit of God and the support of our church family, we move forward together in confidence. For we trust that the resurrection is evidence of Christ’s Lordship overall—even in the worst of times.
May this hope sustain us through the Lenten journey before us.
Pastor Todd