Lent

Dear People of Christ Church,

As I mentioned in my email last week, plans for Lent are underway, but we still have two Sundays of Epiphany. This week, we celebrate the baptism of Theodore Edward Drozd. It will be a wonderful day, and I'm especially glad we get to celebrate together before the Drozd family move to the DC area this spring. We will miss them! March 6, we will have another of our big children's Sundays, with kids doing readings, singing in the choir, sharing the sermon with me, and helping at the altar. The last time we had a big kids' service was for St Francis Day, way back in October, so it's about time.



It's not Lent yet, but we can feel it coming. The word comes from the Old English "lencten"-the days lengthen-and it's in the air, that heady excitement for the thaw and the light, but also still an awareness of how much is still grey, seemingly dead. You'll read more in weeks to come about the meaning of Lent and the many ways there are to observe it. This Sunday, we'll have our annual "Ministry Fair," where you can learn about all the things that happen at Christ Church and talk with representatives from different ministries about how to get involved. Lent is often a time when people take on a spiritual discipline; maybe it could be a time to try out a new ministry here at Church. With Michelle's departure, we will need a new person to schedule the greeters!



Before Lent, though, there are many occasions to celebrate. Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday" ("Shrove Tuesday," if you want to sound more religious) is the day before Ash Wednesday, traditionally a time to eat up all the fatty foods in the house before the austerities of Lent begin. We're starting early, though, with a Friday concert the weekend before, with the big band sounds of Steve Taddeo and the Suburbanaires. Steve and his band have used our lower hall for rehearsals for some time now, and are offering this concert as a benefit to us at no cost-the proceeds all go to Christ Church and supporting our ministries here. We'll have beer and wine available that night, and you can even pre-order a pizza. So buy your tickets now, (on our website,) and invite your friends-it's a week from tomorrow!



We celebrate here, but are always aware of those in other places who are not-I've been much in mind of the people of ChristChurch New Zealand. Tuesday, February 22, a 6.3 quake hit the city, still recovering from an earthquake in September. The Anglican Cathedral's tower collapsed, and people are still feared to be stuck in the rubble inside. At this point, 98 people are confirmed dead, 226 still missing. With our twitter name CCWaltham, a lot of our followers are looking for the Waltham neighborhood of ChristChurch, New Zealand and ended up on our page, so I have been sending prayers their way-a very 21st Century-style closeness.



And, of course, the Middle East. I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday that people in Egypt's Tahrir Square had been reading Ghandi and MLK (for more on that, visit fellowship of reconciliation here. The fall of Mubarak and the violence in Libya, the political standoff in Wisconsin-so much is happening in our world! So much is worthy of our prayers and attention. God is in the midst of it all.



Blessings,

Sara+