THE PASTOR'S CORNER FOR MARCH, 2022

 Reflections from Pastor Kim

​        As I write this I am sitting in the Pastor’s Office FREEZING!  Tomorrow it will be in the 40s and then in the 50s and I will forget that a space heater can’t appropriately heat two rooms when it’s 4* with a ‘feels like’ of -7.  We will get cold again this season and I will sit typing with my coat on wondering why I didn’t prepare better when I knew it would get cold again.  This is what we do though, right?  Out of sight, out of mind – cold, warmth – hungry, full – we forget the uncomfortable when we are in the comfortable – we don’t prepare for the next time of the uncomfortable or pain or crisis – and we have that tendency set on automatic repeat.  So what’s a guy or gal to do?
       
        We are entering the season of Lent on Wednesday, March 2, a time of self-reflection and self-denial.  A time of contemplating our commitment to our faith, to our God, and to our Savior.  A time to prepare ourselves for the moments in our lives where we sit huddled and shivering in our deepest depths, knowing it won’t last forever, and wondering why we didn’t prepare for this known eventuality.  “But,” you may ask, “how in the world do we prepare for the things that topple us to the ground?  For the loss of a loved one, the screams of children who are in danger in a multitude of ways, the cry of the hungry, or the pain of not knowing if your friend or family member is alive?  How do we prepare to watch bombs explode in someone’s back yard, to look into the eyes of those who have been victim of human trafficking or physical, mental, psychological, religious, or sexual abuse?  Maybe in some of these things the ‘we’ is actually ‘me’ and I don’t know how to get past the pain.  Kim, we can’t prepare ourselves to watch, experience, or hear this things!”
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        Beloved Child of God, there is only one thing we can do.  In all honesty, we may – no, we WILL never be ready for these events in our lives, and the lives of those in our midst or around the world.  What we can do is hold on boldly to our faith, to each other, and to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“I LIFT UP MY EYES TO THE HILLS – FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME?
MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD, WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.”
PSALM 121:1-2

        We must cling to our source of strength and hope, and we must cling to those comprising this worldly Body of Christ.  Let us experience Lent together this year, more fully than ever before.  Let us worship together Sunday mornings and throughout the week; let us ready God’s Word together through the Bible Year plan (more copies are available if you’d like one for your household); let us gather for fellowship and learning throughout the seek; let us dedicate ourselves to taking the things out of our lives that keep us from focusing more on Christ; let us spend more time in prayer – not just talking, but listening.  This is how we prepare ourselves for the unknown future, for gut wrenching realities, and to present ourselves more confidently as people of faith.  Please join together this Lenten season in repentance, as well as to experience the wonder of God’s grace.

Be blessed, be a blessing, and take someone with you on the journey!
Pastor Kim