Faith United Church of Christ An inclusive spiritual family shaping a better you for creating a better world. A place to make a difference.

Faith United Church of Christ An inclusive spiritual family shaping a better you for creating a better world. A place to make a difference. March 12, 2017 2nd Sunday in Lent Sacred Fellowship 10:45 a.m. We are delighted that you are here today! We hope you will find us an affirming, uplifting, and committed family of faith. Here we work to make everyone, without any exceptions, to feel accepted, inspired, and encouraged in their spiritual journey. In dialogue, we seek to understand. In encouragement, we seek to heal. In all things we yearn to live by love, for peace, with joy. This is a place where your intellect will be challenged, your heart will be nurtured, and your spirit refreshed. Varying beliefs are expressed openly and freely, and your doubts will not be suppressed. We trust that we are all, every person and part of creation, continuing to be blessed by God s grace; and that in community we can help each other to see this grace alive in our lives and relationships. We hope to share our gifts with you, even as we pray that you will want to share your gifts with us. Whoever you are and wherever you may be in your life s journey, we invite you to be a part of our lives and our spiritual home. Welcome! POINTS TO PONDER Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there. Genesis 11.31 Now the LORD said to Abram, Go from your country and your kindred and your father s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. Genesis 12.1-2 In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12.3c Our tendency is to fear change, to reject it, and to not move forward with it. To remain in Haran, life as Abram knows it would continue to be the same, with set routines, even if it means going nowhere. How many of us have made a pilgrimage without knowing all of the details and the outcome of the journey? Lizette Merchan-Pinilla @ ucc.org Leaving home to build a new home meant learning a new me from within. Lizette Merchan-Pinilla @ ucc.org We are committed to labor in the mission field where, as witnesses, we see what is possible in the midst of our broken humanity; as my local church states it, "to create an environment for transforming charity into justice; and to invest in hope that is grounded in what is righteous, rather than in how well something is likely to turn out" ("Who we are," Community of Hope UCC). This journey describes concretely what is happening in our lives, and implies continuation and movement forward. Lizette Merchan-Pinilla @ ucc.org No matter how far we may be from our physical homes and homeland, what we take with us in spirit, our desire to bless and be blessed by others, is what gives our lives meaning and purpose. We are all immigrants and refugees of the spirit, dependent upon those who did not come from the same womb. We seek for fulfillment that cannot be garnered by our possessions and successes, but which is constitutive of our ability to bring fulfillment to the lives of others. It is our relationships, with strangers and enemies, as well as family and friends, that open or close up our hearts, and breathe life or death into our spirits. Fear kills us; love lifts us. Greed decays our souls; generosity makes them whole. Possessiveness wounds us, and hurts others too. Kindness cures us, and heals another s blues. When we can be a blessing to others, happiness abounds; not only for us, but also for them; all around. Rev. Bret S. Myers, 3/9/2017 These are the initial words spoken to Abram when God called him into action, calling him into the context of becoming, along with his family, a blessing in the world. Lizette Merchan-Pinilla @ ucc.org

CALLED TOGETHER AS SPIRITUAL FAMILY Welcome and Announcements Please sign the registration pads at the ends of the pews on the center aisle. We ask that you please shut off cell phones and practice quietness during the service. Please join us for fellowship and refreshments after the worship in Romig Hall (lower level of elevator or stairs). * = You are invited to stand as you are able Prelude Our Father Who Art in Heaven J. S. Bach Welcoming the Light of Love in Our Midst (acolytes light altar candles) We prepare ourselves for communing with the sacred as love s light is brought into our awareness. The light of love burns within and among each of us, and we carry that light into our sanctuary; visually reminding us of the image of the divine that lives in our hearts, minds, and souls and that we nourish through our faith-filled fellowship. Affirming God s Presence in Us All (Prayer of Invocation) You Matter! Sharing Christ s Peace As a sign of our reconciliation with God and one another, greet and welcome those around you and share the peace of Christ. *Hymn of Sacred Presence I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry #351 *Centering Our Souls (Call to Worship) You call us, O Spirit, to go on a journey. The journey of life is filled with mystery, and offers few guarantees. Our plans get rearranged, and our goals get changed. And yet we are still asked to be who we are called to be, despite the circumstances of our lives. You call us to a blessing to others, as you called Abram. In Ur, Haran, and Canaan it mattered not where he was, but who he was. Leaving safe surroundings and what we know is never easy; but we only grow when we stretch beyond our comfort zones to touch the lives of those we meet along our life s path. We may have fears, but we also have trust. We may have anxieties, but we also have confidence. For where you lead us, you will not abandon us. Where you ask us to go, you will be present with us. You guide us towards those we can most help, and who can most help us; even when we may wish to turn away. You remind us again and again what it is like to be spiritual nomads; looking for purpose and meaning, and only finding it when we are willing to move from the security of our physical homes to the blessing of loving relationships with those we do not yet know. Grant us courage to move forward in faithfulness to those places that scare us, so that we may be able to reach those who are seeking for a better life. Remind us all of our immigrant status; that we were born into a mysterious world and that we only find peace by caring for one another. Help us to be the blessings that will not only fulfill our calling, but will promote compassion, justice, and harmony between ourselves and all others. May it be so, now and always. Our Stories of Random Acts of Kindness and Intentional Deeds of Compassion WE LISTEN FOR THE SACRED IN THE MIDST OF OUR LIVES Choral Anthem A Time for All God s Children Following the Children s Chat, the nursery is available for infants and toddlers under 4 years. The nursery is located through the front door to the right, and up the steps past the offices. Prayers Sharing Our Joys and Concerns Silent Meditation: The Prayers of the People Pastoral Prayer The Prayer Jesus Taught (unison) Please feel free to do the version you know, or the one below: Our heavenly Creator, sacred be your name: your kin-dom* come, your will be done, on earth as if in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kin-dom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen * Kin-dom is an inclusive, non-authoritarian, and egalitarian term that reminds us that we are all kin as the children of God. *Hymn for Rising Faith The Church of Christ, in Every Age #306 Scripture Lesson Genesis 11.27-12.4

Message The Mysterious Journey of Being Called to Be a Blessing *Hymn for Living as Blessing Jesus Calls Us on a Journey see insert WE DEDICATE OURSELVES TO GOD S SERVICE THROUGH FAITHFULNESS Giving of Our Tithes and Offerings Offertory "What Wondrous Love is This" *Song of Dedication Tune: Old Hundredth; p. 7 When we give thanks, then go to sow; Our blessings are assured to grow. We are not known by what we keep; We re known by deeds that others reap. *Unison Prayer of Dedication O God, whose coming was tender and mild, but whose presence is empowering and passionate: We are thankful for the hope you inspire in our world where poverty is painful and loving-kindness is lacking. Jolt us with justice that the world s prayers for peace may be answered. Jostle us with generosity that we may know the joy of giving. In this season of Lent, enter into our hearts that hope may arise within us to expect that which has been promised: that nourishment will be provided for the hungry...that comfort will call upon the suffering...that freedom will ensue for the imprisoned...that justice will be imparted to the persecuted...that compassion will nurture the oppressed...that peace will pacify the violent...and that love will live in the midst of all peoples and creatures that you have declared good. May this gift of hope that you give to us be passed on to others by how we give of ourselves through our time, talents, tithes, and offerings. Blessings be. *Encouragement for the Journey (Benediction) Go to be a blessing! This is your calling. Do not worry whether your task is difficult, or your efforts are successful. Life is serendipitous; so what you may think will or has failed may actually renew a life. Advocate for justice for those unlike you. Work for peace with those opposed to you. Kindness offered and love delivered can transform relationships. Trust in this! Live by this! Let God be responsible for the outcome; just commit yourself to the journey of sacred living. If you do, you will find that you will have not only been a blessing to others, but that the synergy of life will have created a blessing for you. *Response for Living in Peace Shalom to You (Tune: Somos Del Senor) Shalom to you now, shalom, my friends. May God s full mercies bless you, my friends. In all your living and through your loving, Christ be your shalom, Christ be your shalom. *Postlude Fugue from Sonata No. 6 in D Minor F. Mendelssohn *The Light of Love Goes into the World Love s light is not extinguished from our worship, but is transferred from the flame of the candles to the passion in our hearts that we may go forth to let the light of love shine through us as we go to serve in the world! WE GO FORTH AS PEACEMAKERS TO CREATE JUSTICE FOR ALL Our worship is fulfilled, and our purpose is confirmed, through our service as God s stewards to the world and all creation. Use the blessings God has given you as you share the joy in your heart, the wisdom in your mind, the love in your spirit, and the peace in your soul. Thank you for sharing sacred fellowship with us! Faith UCC is an open and affirming church, embracing diversity in our congregation and community, and affirming the dignity and worth of every person. We are an inclusive community of faith that celebrates God's presence through worship and the sharing of God's word. We welcome all persons into the full life and ministry of the church, regardless of race, ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, capability, or circumstance of life. Our Ministry Ministers All the Congregation Pastor Rev. Bret Myers Ushers Tom Daubert, Tina Aumiller Trustee Tom Daubert Liturgist Kees Brandse Children s Message Acolyte Nursery Jean Cole, Cyndi Vincenti Fellowship Church Staff Custodian Scott Luzier Church School Coordinator - Barbara Chellman Choir Director Colin Ruffer Organist Colin Davis Administrative Assistant - Jeff Stormer The liturgies for this morning s worship, along with the Hymn for Living as a Blessing, were written by Rev. Bret S. Myers except where otherwise noted.

Nourishment for the Journey What would it have been like to be Abram, the one who is considered the Father of three religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? He could not have imagined such a thing, I m sure. But yet he had to be a person of imagination and wonder, an adventurer one secure enough in himself that he was willing to travel to far and distant lands, away from the place of his birth, childhood, youth, and early adulthood, and later away from the place he called home for much of his adult life. Abram was born in Ur (present day Southern Iraq, right by the Persian Gulf), a place of great civilization (the mouth of the Euphrates & Tigris Rivers). He married his wife, Sarai, there and was the son of Terah. Abram had two brothers, Nahor & Haran the latter of which died young in his homeland, though not before having a son, Lot (the nephew of Abram). Sometime after the death of his brother, Abram s father got itchy to move and decided to go to a place called Canaan an unknown and foreign world to them, but one they likely heard about that had great promise. Abram and his family, and Lot and his family were willing to go with their father/grandfather, Terah; but Nahor stayed behind, perhaps where he felt more safe and secure. Likely traveling up the Euphrates River, they traveled 700-1000 miles, all on foot, and with livestock and their families, until they reached Haran (which is now SSE Turkey). They would have traveled through present day Iraq from the South to the North, and then through Syria, and into Turkey. This would have been well out of the way of Canaan, but it would have given them water to drink and bathe in the entire trip. They would have needed the assistance of people in present day Iraq, Syria, and Turkey to help them along their route. Apparently, they must have been received and treated well in the places they passed through, for we hear of no skirmishes along the way. They must have liked the hills of Turkey, and the likely clearer waters closer to the headwaters of the Euphrates, for rather than heading south to Canaan, they decided to make their home in Haran. Terah, whose goal was to go to Canaan, never reached his destination; but his son, and grandson would later live out his dream in their own lives. Terah s dream was passed on to successive generations and they would reap the benefits of his forward thinking. They were immigrants looking for a better life, or perhaps a place where they could take a chance on living more freely in a less populated, and perhaps less civilized region of their known world a more hilly, if not mountainous area, which would have been a very different environment than which they were used to living in back in Ur. Nonetheless, it was probably much better suited for letting their livestock graze and flourish. The temperatures would have have considerably cooler, and they would have had to rely on the ingenuity of the native population to build dwellings that could keep them warm and safe from the more extreme weather changes. They stayed there and flourished for many years. Perhaps this was a family who had the spirit of adventure; people who were willing to take a risk, to try something new, in hopes of fulfilling even greater dreams. God called Abram to leave his father and their 2nd homeland, and to start another trek towards Canaan his father s original ambition. His father, Terah, now up in age, decided to stay in Haran, where he lived out the length of his long years of life. But Abram, and his nephew Lot, and their families, set out on yet another journey of mystery. They carried with them the faith that they had survived a similar journey before, and were made the better for it; but it still must have seemed to be quite risky to once again pick up all you had, leave all you knew, and venture into unknown territory a place where you didn t know if you would be well received by the local inhabitants. Some may call this craziness; others a spirit of adventure. But Abram and his descendants to come would refer to it as faith. They felt the call to journey, with wife and kids, servants, and livestock, along with all their belongings, walking through valleys and over mountains, through both arid regions and oases, and perhaps even some forests, all the while trusting that somehow they would make it through and be alright when they found a new place to call home. I can t help but relate to this story of Abram as I come to a region I have never been to, but have heard about. While traveling by car is much easier than by foot, I have only just secured and unloaded my things (actually, I anticipate doing this 2 days from the time of this writing, trusting it will finally happen!). The local people have been a blessing to me. They have welcomed me, made me feel wanted, and Jeff & Janet have even housed and fed me. I have been homeless and without my things since I arrived nearly a month ago. And yet, it already is starting to spiritually feel like home. I think that I am lucky in this. There are many more in this world who are having to travel from their homelands in even worse conditions than Abram and his family were traveling thousands of years ago. Many have had their homes bombed, their work and family lives shattered, and are very unsure about what to do next and where to go. Their vision is not so much to find a place to find a better life, as to just find a place where they can have life: a place where they can survive until they can regain their footing and figure things out. Unlike Abram, they are not always being met with kind people along their way. They are being denied entry into one country after another, including those like our own that could take in large numbers of them without much impact on our communities. What would it be like to be an immigrant like Abram? Or like those Syrian refugees today that are the descendants of the people a few millennia ago that would have helped Abram, who are not finding help from others who have the means to help them? Abram must have felt wanted in the place he went first, else he would not have been able to settle down in Haran for so long. But millions of refugees today have to be feeling very unwanted as they beg and plead for some nation to take them in so that they can no longer be in constant fear for the lives of their family members. In Abram s time, there was a spirit of hospitality of taking care of the traveler and immigrant making sure they had shelter, food, and water until they could get their footing to either stay and become a part of the community or to continue on to yet another place. Are we more selfish in the modern world? Are we less connected to one another? Have we adopted a philosophy of everyone for themselves, and let happen to others whatever happens to them? Is humanity becoming less compassionate, even as we become more technologically advanced? I honestly don t know the answer to these questions, but they are haunting questions. What kind of people do we want to be? How do we determine what is most important in life? Is it whether we flourish regardless of whether others do? Or is it whether we are willing to help those in need, regardless of our own need, because our humanity dictates this? Do we want to be a survivor people, but those spiritually bereft of loving-kindness for others? Or do we want to be an ethical people, whether we survive or not, because living only has meaning when we are able to think of others and not just ourselves? We have two competing philosophies in this country right now: the one in which our Commander in Chief, wants to go beyond being the only world superpower to have more military strength than can perhaps even be imagined, while building walls to protect us from immigrants, refugees, and any other potential bad guys that may make us feel less secure; who don t share our culture, our religion, or even our language. And the other, being that in which many persons of faith, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Shinto, and other spiritualities, are reminding

us that we are all brothers and sisters regardless of where we come from, what we believe, or the language that we speak. It is ironic that this story of Abram, in chapter 12, comes right after the story of the Tower of Babel in chapter 11 of Genesis: a story in which people all lived in one place, spoke the same language, and were making incredible strides forward in living in peace and harmony, while working for the benefit of all. Then confusion sets in, and people become unable to understand one another. They end up separating and going their own ways. Enmity arises, and the story of humanity after the flood comes to look eerily similar to the story before the flood one where there was growing violence, corruption, and conflict. It is in this context that God invites Abram and his family to leave his homeland and travel through other places; not to be a burden on the locals wherever they go, but rather to bless them. The following words are shocking given how God regards Abram the immigrant, and how so many people today regard immigrants. God saw this immigrant, perhaps even a refugee, as a means to bless others: In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Think of it: immigrants as blessings rather than security threats! Amazing thought, isn t it? Interestingly enough, there is one country, the one just north of us, that is taking this approach not only welcoming immigrants, but believing that they will make Canada better than it is today. Sometimes we in the USA are snooty towards our northern neighbors. We think we are better than they are. And yet, I just read a new survey that came out this past week that claims that Canada is #1, comparing all countries, including our own, in the highest quality of living. We are substantially down the list; and dropping fast. Could it be that quality of life arises from quality of relationships? That places where all are welcomed are more of a blessing than those that are more xenophobic? Sometimes it is our spiritual and ethical values, more than our possessions, assets, lands, and economy, that we need to remind ourselves of as most important. We don t get to take anything material with us when we go. But what lives in the minds and hearts of those who were blessed by us, those are the things that will remain of us for posterity. Are we more concerned about being blessed, regardless of whether others are also blessed? Or are we more concerned about being a blessing, so that others might share in our blessings? I know how Jesus would want us to be, and I know how I want to be. Do you know how you want to be? All of us are on a journey. We are all immigrants of the spirit, hoping to look for and find people in our lives who will be compassionate and kind to us along our life s way. May we commit ourselves to being the loving, peaceful, and just people God calls us to be as we are called to new ventures just like our forefather Abram, our our foremother Sarai. May it be so. --- Rev. Bret S. Myers, 3/8/2017 Jesus Calls Us on a Journey Tune: Promise 87.87 D Music: Natalie Sleeth, 1986; Words: Rev. Bret Stuart Myers, 6/18/09 Jesus calls us on a journey / to an unfamiliar land; To a place that seems so foreign / and that we don t understand; Though we re called out in the evening / when we re weary and afraid; In his boat we ll find assurance / if it s on his course we re staid. On the journey we ll encounter / violent winds and crashing seas; And our doubts will come a streaming / in the midst of our dis-ease; We will wonder why we ever / left the safety of our shore; Why we ever dared to follow / such a faith that s now a chore. While our voyage may be fearful / and we wonder why we dare; To risk life and its contentment / when the world seems not to care; Peace we ll find amidst our struggle / though the waves be thrashing round; If love guides our every purpose / then in love we will be found. When we re asked to leave our comfort / of opinions we hold true; When we re asked to hear a stranger / whose own views we ve misconstrued; When we go through stormy waters / asked to see the other side; If in peace we row together / then with Jesus we abide. Let us fear not what s before us / though the crowds we leave behind; Let us seek to know the other / with an openness of mind; Let us sail to new horizons / where we ll find our destiny; We ll respect, affirm, each other / and we ll live in harmony.

Welcome to all first-time (and returning) guests to Faith UCC! We would like to get to know you and for you to get to know us. Join us after worship for coffee and conversation. There is free parking on Sundays at the meters and at the McAllister & Pugh Street parking garages so, we hope you ll worship with us again next Sunday! ------------------------------------------------- Electronic Giving Options: During the offering time in the service, you may place your offerings on the plates the ushers will bring around. If you prefer to give electronically simply scan the QR code with your smart phone to be directed to our online donation page. ------------------------------------------------ March Special Offering One Great Hour of Sharing One Great Hour is a Christian effort to empower, provide water, supply food, and give relief from disasters. Learn more at: http://onegreathourofsharing.org Make checks payable to Faith UCC with OGHS noted in the memo line, or use the special envelope on Sunday, March 26 th. Prayers for healing and wholeness: Linda Merchant, Susan Meyer, Lisa B. (JoAnn s daughter), Brandon G., Lisa Neidigh, Bunnie Hartswick, Katelynn Wilson, the Family of Jean Dreese, Darlene Ripka, April S., AJ, Randy Brown (Aimee s Dad), Sheila W., the Parrish Family, Robert Zupp (Eileen Pfaff s nephew), Ruth Tressler Altar Flowers presented by C. Meyer March 13 Consistory Meeting, 5:30PM March 17 St Patrick s Day March 19 Third Sunday in Lent March 25 Meaningful Movies, 2PM Movie: Amistad March 26 Fourth Sunday in Lent Get In Touch with Us! Faith United Church of Christ 300 E. College Avenue State College, PA 16801 Tel: (814) 237-3904 Websites: www.faithucc.info facebook.com/scfaithucc Church Office Email: faithucc@comcast.net Church Office Hours: 9:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. Pastor s Email: revbmyers@yahoo.com Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Fridays Please make an appointment with Rev. Myers if you would like to meet with the pastor. You may call the church office, or his cell at 608-370-9472.

Don't miss the latest webinar series led by Andy Lang, executive director of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ. Since Faith Church is already on board, ONA 201 (offered March 21) is the next step in strengthening our ONA commitment. This webinar is for ONA churches seeking new ways to revive, strengthen and expand their ONA commitment. Participants will learn best practices for ONA church growth-- including marketing, communications, advocacy, and personal evangelism. The webinar is offered at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 21. All workshops are priced at $30 for one or two participants, with discounts for three or more participants sitting at the same computer. Contact ed@openandaffirming.org for more information. Life After Loss Support Group St. John s UCC 218 N. Church Street, Boalsburg A six-week educational support group for anyone experiencing a loss through death Sessions will be held from 5:30 8:00 pm on the following Sundays in 2017: March 5 March 12 March 19 March 26 April 2 April 9 Participants are encouraged to attend all six classes to receive the most benefit. If you must miss a session due to a prior commitment, please still consider attending. A light supper will be provided. There is no charge for the classes. Register by calling the Boalsburg church office at 466-7162 Why Do We Enshroud the Cross with the Lenten Veil? Before us stands the cross. The cross not only represents the redemptive suffering of Jesus the Christ who was despised and forsaken, but the cross which we each must voluntarily bear as disciples of Christ the ones who are to carry out his mission of compassion, love, and mercy to God s creation. It symbolizes a crossroads between death and life, a choice we must make for ourselves as to whom and to what we devote our lives. Our choice, like that of Jesus, will determine whether we will live in grace or die in sin whether our spirit will know the eternity of love or the eternity of fear. The cross is made of a vertical beam that connects heaven and earth, and of a horizontal support that reaches out to both saint and sinner. In carrying our own cross, we are made aware of the connection between the spirit and the body. In carrying our own cross, we treat the great and the lowly, the magistrate and the criminal, with equal respect and love remembering that God has made all things good and intrinsically worthy of our service. As we enter into this season of Lent, we become mindful of what we have done that we should not have done, and what we have left undone that we should have done. As we consider how we have strayed like sheep from God s loving will, our vision of whom we are and what we are to do becomes clouded with a veil of guilt, shame, and insecurity. For these forty days, we commit ourselves to penitence seeking in humbleness the way to avoid the sins of the past and to create within ourselves, through God s grace, new hearts consecrated for the doing of God s work. The details of the cross we must bear are obscured to us now; but with the unveiling of the cross at Easter, we will see clearly the glory of the task that God has called us to so that in following Christ s way we, too, might know the resurrection of body and spirit together. The veil does not completely hide the cross from us. The veil over the cross illustrates that the cross we each must bear is not wholly known to us. Like Jesus, we are uncertain which way God will lead us as we commit ourselves to God s ways and not our own. Yet the veil, in keeping us from seeing exactly what we must sacrifice, also directs our vision beyond itself and the cross: to the life that may be experienced beyond the cross a life in which our sins are forgiven and atoned for, and in which we will know the joys of life abundant. The Women s Guild will meet March 27 th. Contact Edna Bicehouse for details.

The Meaning of Lent The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, lincten, meaning spring, and the German word, Leng, meaning the times when the days are lengthening. Spring is coming and our spirits are rising. To reflect this natural occurrence of the transition from winter to summer spiritually and religiously, Lent foreshadows Christ s resurrection even as flowers and plants will also be rising. Even as the days are lengthening and becoming sunnier, so may our souls when we penitently look within ourselves to see how we can, through God s grace, become more faithful in loving, forgiving, and making peace in our lives and in the world. Now from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve we observe Lent 40 days. The 40 days, excluding Sundays (since every Sunday is a celebration of Easter Day) are symbolic of other important Biblical periods of spiritual reckoning, development, and revelation: the 40 day deluge in Noah s time, Moses stay on Mt. Sinai while receiving God s Commandments, the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness, Elijah s 40 day fast, and the 40 days of Jesus temptation and his 40 hours in the tomb. Each of these events were times of spiritual preparation for receiving and implementing the abundance of new life God promised to them as they came to a fuller understanding of God s will and purpose for their lives. Lent is a season of preparation: preparation for Easter -- a time of joy and victory. Joy is always most exultant, and victory is always sweetest, when they follow on the heels of humility and awareness of sin. Therefore, Lent is a time of self-examination and penitence that is necessary to transform us from a seed to a flower from the death of the spirit revealed in aimlessness, meaninglessness, and emptiness of purpose to life abundant. In order to prepare ourselves to spiritually celebrate the glory of Easter, we must look at our readiness to celebrate. Therefore, time must be spent in preparing our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls through spiritual disciplines. Although it may be initially difficult to take time out of our secular schedules, and easy to justify by various excuses why we don t take time in nurturing the spiritual disciplines, we each need to spend time connecting to and developing the sacred within us if we are to reap the spiritual rewards. We need to take time in prayer time in meditation time for fasting and self -denial time for introspection and repentance time to recognize our need to forgive and to be forgiven time for Bible study time for listening to God s plan for our lives time in service to others...etc. The decision to spiritually prepare for Easter lies in you alone. God will not force you to prepare and neither will anyone else. But God does offer you a promise the promise is that if you are preparing to celebrate Easter, you will know, as you have never known before, what it means to be resurrected with Christ. --- Bret S. Myers, revised 2/25/04 First IICC Coffee Hour at Webster s Bookstore & Café! Monday, March 20, 6:30-8:00 pm Suggested Discussion Topic: Does anything need to change? (e.g., What small or large change needs to happen in your life? In our country or in the world? In our interfaith activities? Does external change require internal change as well? Which comes first?) SITTING FOR PEACE RSVP for next month s Interfaith Potluck/Meditation DATE: Saturday, March 25, 6:30 pm RSVP if you wish to participate in body or in spirit, to Shih-In Ma: sittingtogether2@gmail.com Come create and share a space of Love, Peace and Silence As before, we ll gather with a vegetarian potluck at 6:30 pm. We ll sit together in stillness and silence from 8:00 until about 8:40. We welcome diversity here so please do whatever silent-still practice you choose. Then we ll continue nourishing our bodies and our hearts after the sit :-) If you can t come, please sit with us in spirit from 8:00 pm to about 8:40! If you RSVP, please let me know your 1-3 word intention/dedication/prayer for the energy of our gathering. I will send you the readings in advance and will presence you by name and intention as we start. When you join, it s palpable. Meaningful Movies & Conversation (open to the community) Our first monthly movie is Amistad, by Steven Spielberg. Saturday, March 18 th (the day before Amistad Sunday ), at 2 p.m. Join us! Invite others to come, and feel free to bring refreshments to share! The Caring Network What is the Caring Network and what do the Caring Leaders do? We are very fortunate to have a group of nine Caring Leaders (volunteers) who are friends and members at Faith Church. They are: Edna Bicehouse, Jane Childs, Jean Frank, Sue Doran, Rev. Ernie Hawk, June Irvin, Mary Jane Wild, and Jim and Sally Welsh. Each Caring Leader has a list of people from the church with whom they keep in contact. Our main question is: how do you want to be cared for? Please let your Caring Leader know if you have a prayer request or if you need help or support in some way. If you have any questions please call me at 814-777-0339 or email me at sandy99@onemain.com.