Good Morning –

Today is the first Sunday of Lent – our time of preparation for new beginnings!  Lent is a time when we reflect upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus … and take time to reflect upon the changes that we can make in our own lives to draw us closer in relationship with God, each other and with the wider world in which we live.

During this Lenten Season you will notice some changes in Worship.  Firstly, I will use the psalms as the readings on Sunday – drawing from the penitential psalms at the beginning of worship and ending with a reading from one of the psalms of praise known as the Hallel psalms.   Of all of the books in the Bible, the Psalms contain the full range of human experiences and emotions and offer us a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon our lives and the new beginnings that are the promise of Easter.

The second suggestion for worship relates to music.  Each week there will be two selections from the pastoral musician Jason Silver, who has put each of the psalms to music.  I have found that his Interpretations have lent depth and insight to my reading – and I encourage to you to use each selection as part of your weekly reflection.

Psalm 6 Song – Save My Life – Jason Silver

Psalm 113 – Praise the Name of the Lord – Jason Silver

I will also continue to select music selections that will complement the weekly message.  This week I have selected two additional pieces:

Create in me a Clean Heart – Keith Green

Be Thou My Vision – Nathan Pacheco

Announcements:

Public worship:  Public Worship remains cancelled. This decision will be revisited at out next meeting of Session which will be held on March 12^th.

Annual Meeting: The date for the Annual Meeting has been set for March 14th.  As we do not know if we are going to be able to gather as a large group, we have begun to make plans to hold the meeting using Zoom.  I would invite anyone who is not familiar with the platform to reach out to me over the next few weeks so that we can assist you in learning how to use the technology.

Preparing for Easter:   The Study groups have begun meeting on Wednesday evenings.  We ask that you hold those who are participating in your prayers.

Staying Connected: We are all connected, and we will be stronger & healthier when we are intentional in nurturing our relationships with one another. So I encourage you to connect to people for conversation and companionship.  Even a short conversation will lift the spirit of the person you call … and miraculously, it will lift your spirits as well!

Blessings

Patrick