February 2, 2022
Dear Friends,
Growing up in northwestern Pennsylvania, one gets a distorted view of time and climate. First, growing up in the snow belt south and east of Lake Erie (think: Buffalo), you come to expect a typical winter to include sub-zero temperatures and measuring snow falls by the foot. You also trust that the people forecasting the weather know more about the future than you do so you can plan. But they do not know as much about it as a groundhog in Punxsutauney, about 2 hours due south of my childhood home. Of course, many years and a movie later, Punxsutawney Phil’s fearless prognostications are an international event. So, a happy Groundhog Day to you all. I hope to have our Groundhog Day cards unpacked by next year’s holiday. But for now enjoy, what Phil predicts will be six more weeks of winter.
Curiously, Groundhog Day may well have its roots in Christmas. In our Church calendar today is called either Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation (of Jesus in the Temple). February 2 is the 40th day after Christmas day, the 40th day after his birth is when Jesus was taken to the temple to be offered to God (Luke 2: 22-40). This once marked the end of the Christmas season, celebrating the last story of Jesus as a child in the gospels. We are not celebrating this today, but will be commemorating this event this coming Sunday. No groundhogs will be present, however.
Not even a groundhog can predict the length of time remaining in this pandemic. However, we are seeing signs of its waning. We are hoping to be back in person for worship on Sunday, February 13th, a week from this Sunday. This will be confirmed in next week’s FYI, along with what to expect when we do. We also expect to loosen restrictions over time as the pandemic recedes. We hope that once we have returned to worshipping together, we will not have to revisit, for a very long time—if ever, these days of worship apart.
Though the end of the pandemic is uncertain, it is certain that Lent begins a month from today, March 2nd. The response to last year’s Lenten devotional was quite good, both in terms of the contributions that were made by you all, and our appreciation for them. Thank you all one last time. I believe hard copies of that devotional are still available.
This year I am suggesting a different approach than last year. This year you are asked to choose a psalm that you would like to share with our church family, then help us to see that psalm from your perspective. You can do this by describing what this psalm makes you think or feel, re-rewriting or paraphrasing the psalm, or some other way of reflecting upon it, such as a photograph or drawing. A psalm will only be included once, so your first choice may not be available if you wait too long. Sundays in Lent, instead of offering one of your reflections, we will simply provide the full text of the psalm assigned for that Sunday’s worship for you to pray before worship that day. Written responses should be no more than 250 words, give or take a few. Please email Cinda Madonna the psalm you have chosen, and if you have a particular date you would like to have this presented, otherwise you will be assigned a date. You will need to submit your offering at least a week beforehand. You have demonstrated yourselves to be a community with a deep well of faith. I look forward to drinking from that well again with you this Lenten season.
However long this winter—or this pandemic—may last, I am buoyed by your faith in God, the hope that this affords you, and the love you have for each other in Christ. And I say this without a shadow of a doubt…
Pastor Todd