“A Lenten Journey with John: Letting Go of the Stones” – March 20, 2022

Dear SDUMC Family,

As we enter the Third Week of Lent, I hope you have found some time to add one of the spiritual disciplines into your Lenten journey: prayer, Bible study, service, worship, and others. If you haven't had the opportunity to start, always know it's never too late to begin or restart the journey with God. Here are a few thoughts I found on Lenten disciplines from the UMC website Lenten disciplines.

I also came across a poem by Ann Weems in her book Kneeling in Jerusalem that reminded me that God is always ready to meet us wherever we are on our journeys.

Lent is a time to take time to let the power
of our faith story take hold of us,
a time to let the events get up
and walk around in us,
a time to place our feet in the streets of
Jerusalem or to walk along the sea and
listen to his Word,
a time to ponder and a time to wonder….
Lent is a time to allow
a fresh new taste of God!
Perhaps we're afraid to have time to think,
for thoughts come unbidden.
Perhaps we're afraid to face our future
knowing our past.
Give us courage, O God,
to hear your Word
and to read our living into it.
Give us the trust to know we're forgiven
and give us the faith
to take up our lives and walk.

This Sunday, we'll continue our sermon series, A Lenten Journey With John: The Gospel Of Light And Life, and pause on the journey at John 8:1-11. In this passage, we'll meet some people who felt they had everything figured out and boldly came to test Jesus. However, as we watch this group open their ears to hear his message of living in a new way, we see a significant change of events.

I hope you'll make it part of your Lenten practices to join us for worship this Sunday at 8:00 a.m. (in the Chapel for a shortened Communion Service), 9:30 a.m. (in the Sanctuary with the Choir), or on Livestream at 9:30 a.m. (and throughout the day and week on our YouTube Channel).

Grace and Peace,
John