I pray to stay open today. Open to the unrestrained energy of now. Open to mystery and power. Open to whatever comes. Open to routine and surprises. Open to moving past my first reactions. Open to my imperfections and the divine spark that underlies them. Open to wonder and the everyday grace of life unfolding as it does. Open to events an circumstances that I like, and those I don't. Open to fatigue and overflowing energy. Open to listen and to speak. Open to love in all the ways it manifests. Open to give and to receive. Open to seasons changing, priorities rearranging, nothing staying the same very long. Open to letting beliefs dissolve into the ether. Open to the direct experience of truth. Open to forgetting and remembering. Open to life and open to death. Open to fear and courage, ease and difficulty. I pray to stay open. by Danna Faulds

“Me help you?” was a hopeful question from a toddler-aged grandchild, who wanted to be a connected and incorporated member of the family. She wished to contribute her abilities and be recognized as a generous and reliable person. She wanted to give her service to those she loved. Recognizing and appreciating her deep desire to shoulder her responsibilities, was an important part of her development as an individual. Each of us carries in our souls, in our inner being, a love that needs to be shared and a real commitment to play a part in the human community, pulled by our gratitude to God our creator, redeemer, and guide. Being a light involves listening and responding with active love. The darkness will recede as we work to see the incredible potential of all people and the beauty that we can create striving for unity, dignity, and respect of individuals of all ages, abilities, cultures, and races.

Today is the Fifth Sunday in Lent. Collect of the Day: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Psalm 51:1-13 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33 Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon text can be read here. Today's Worship Livestream: Today's service bulletin can be found here.

Columbia Community Care Plans To Help Kids Celebrate Spring The all-volunteer effort that came together in response to the pandemic, Columbia Community Care (CCC), has reached its one-year anniversary. CCC has ambitious goals for 2021 that its leaders will no doubt discuss with Christ Church parishioners in a virtual session on Monday, March 22nd. But it also has some short term plans to bring cheer to children in Howard County on Saturday, March 27th. You can be a part of both. Our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians (R.A.G.E.) will host CCC leaders at 7:30 p.m. Monday on Zoom. They are invited to talk about the needs in Howard County and their work with a proposed social justice center. You’ll find instructions on how to join the conversation in the email about online opportunities that parishioners receive at the start of each week. CCC has called on members of the community to help children ages 3 to 11 years old get ready to welcome spring. Volunteers are adding a table to each of CCC’s three distribution sites that will offer gift bags and baskets for kids. The sites are open for distribution on Saturday, March 27th from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the following three locations: Stevens Forest Neighborhood Center, 6061 Stevens Forest Rd., Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., and Long Reach Village Center, Suite 9, 8775 Cloudleap Ct., all in Columbia. Sue Sharff Castonguay, a member of the CCC group on Facebook, organized the giveaway and will personally prepare multiple bags. However, to make sure there is plenty to go around, parishioners and others are invited to put together medium-size bags or baskets. She suggests filling them with new items suitable for ages 3 to 11. Ideas include gender-neutral gifts and small toys, individual snacks, juice boxes, packaged candy (no loose or bulk candy), filled plastic eggs, stickers, play dough, slime, art supplies, markers, watercolors, face masks, and mini hand sanitizers. Parishioners can bring their bag or basket(s) to the yellow bin marked “CCC” located inside the entrance to the Parish Hall. To make sure the items get to the organizer’s preferred sites on time, a member of the Outreach Commission will coordinate with CCC. The Christ Church deadline for dropoff is next Friday, March 26th by 2 p.m. Meanwhile, our Christ Church drive for CCC continues to seek diapers in all sizes and baby wipes, women’s sanitary care products, soaps, shampoo, deodorant, and other toiletries. Please put them in the yellow bin marked “CCC” any time on weekdays until 2 p.m., but we ask that you call the church office (410) 381-9365 to let them know when you are coming. Save the Dates: April 19 and May 17 to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots Once again, parishioners and volunteers who join their efforts are looking ahead to the monthly meal that we provide for Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Save the dates and times: April 19th and May 17th, arriving between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. each day at the parking lot outside Old Brick. Plan to bring a side dish, a dessert, or items for their pantry to be enjoyed round-the-clock by the 50 residents of the live-in facility on Freetown Rd. To sign up, use our electronic registry no later than 12 noon on the Sunday prior to the meal on Monday. Click on the Christ Church Grassroots Meal link on SignUpGenius to learn which items are requested and to tell coordinators what you plan to bring. Every third Monday of the month, co-coordinator Nancy Winchester acquires fried chicken at Weis and meets the other volunteers as they enter the Christ Church parking lot (see above photo from March 15th). Nancy then transports the food to Freetown Road for hand-off to the staff at Grassroots. For questions, ask Nancy or co-coordinator Shahra Toth or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. During the pandemic, Christ Church began these parking lot drop-offs in lieu of the monthly meals that we once provided in-person at another Grassroots facility, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center. That facility remains closed except for curbside distributions, but you can find a current resource list of its needs. Look under “Related files” on our SignUpGenius link. On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal for the 50 adults and children. Consider pitching in, by picking a date to provide an entree and side dishes, or just the entree. Grassroots encourages an order of 12 pizzas -- four with cheese and the rest with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list maintained by Grassroots. Grassroots Offers Training in March in QPR Skills to Help Prevent Suicides Once again, Grassroots offer members of the community a chance to learn skills that could help save a life from suicide. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer -- the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save lives, just as individuals trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver learn what to do. The online seminar is free to Howard County residents, employees, or students. Training will be offered for adults on Monday, March 29th from 6 to 7:30 p.m. To register go here; to learn more, email amanda@grassrootscrisis.org to speak with Amanda Ganoe, the session's organizer. Donate Groceries for FISH in an Altar Basket or in the Yellow Bin As in-person worship has resumed, you should find a basket of groceries for FISH of Howard County in the sanctuary. For the convenience of parishioners who continue to observe pandemic precautions, the yellow bin marked “FISH” remains on the breezeway between the Parish Hall and Old Brick. As we transition from winter to spring, keep the weather in mind and avoid putting items in the bin that will freeze. March LEMS Committee Update Some of the Lake Elkhorn Middle School students are starting to return to in-person learning this month. The LEMS committee purchased hand sanitizer for the teachers/staff and over five thousand disposable face masks for use by both teachers and students to help keep them safe while they finish out the school year. The school administration is extremely grateful for the support Christ Church has provided throughout the pandemic as they teach and learn during very unusual circumstances. The LEMS committee is continuing to provide food for ten families one weekend a month with this month's distribution occurring on March 11th. If you have any questions or want to help, please contact lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

On weekdays during the season of Lent, we post daily meditations on our website, and on Sundays this year we include a piece of music, as well. These songs are submitted by parish family members and friends of Christ Church, and meant to uplift, comfort, and inspire. We hope that you enjoy. O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. CHORUS: Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. CHORUS When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!" CHORUS

Lord, you have searched me out and known me, * you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You trace my journeys and my resting-places* and are acquainted with all my ways. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, * but you, O Lord, know it altogether. You press upon me behind and before* and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; * It is so high that I cannot attain to it. For you yourself created my inmost parts; * you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will thank you because I am marvelously made; * your works are wonderful, and I know it well. My body was not hidden from you, * while I was being made in secret and woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb; all of them were written in your book; * they were fashioned day by day, when as yet there was none of them. How deep I find your thoughts, O God! * how great is the sum of them! If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; * to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

Denzel Washington tells a story about being on the verge of flunking out of Fordham University. His GPA was 1.75. He remembers so vividly being at his mother’s beauty parlor in Mount Vernon, New York on March 27, 1975. At this beauty parlor was another woman who was under the hairdryer. “Every time I looked up, she was looking at me,” he said. Then out of nowhere, the lady asked for a piece of paper and a pen. “I have a prophecy,” she said. Then she wrote on that piece of paper “Boy, you are going to travel the world and speak to millions of people.” Well, Denzel couldn’t believe what he was reading. "I am flunking out of college and this is what I read about me?" he wondered to himself. Of course, in later years, Denzel has traveled the world and spoken to millions of people. Someone - a total stranger - filled his void with something that he didn’t even know could be possible. So, if people we do not know can talk to us, and bless us in a way that fills the void in our lives, how much more can those we know do the same? A basketball coach used to tell his players that when you score a basket, look for the person who passed you the ball and say, "Thank you," for that is the one person who filled your void. There are moments when we all need someone to talk to us. As a parent of two teenage girls, I always struggle with whether they are inviting me to talk to them about something that’s bothering them, or about anything, or about nothing. I take it upon myself to talk to them about any and all things - whether I feel I have been invited or not. For me, it is important that, as much as possible, I help fill any void in their lives. And I am sure it is the same with many of you who also have teenagers. Talk to me - it is an invitation. It tells of being open to listening. It tells of our willingness to hear what we need to hear and not what we want to hear. It tells of an unsettled mind or circumstance. It tells of a desire to hear some reassuring words, comfortable words that speak to one’s affirmation and potential. At this special time, as we approach the Passion Week, I am reminded of the story in the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus screams in agony. Talk to me, tell me some comforting healing words that if possible, can fill the deep void he felt at the time. On the night in 1865 that he was assassinated at the Ford Theatre - not terribly far from Columbia, Maryland, mind you - several items were found in President Abraham Lincoln’s pocket. One of the most telling was a group of eight newspaper clippings, each of which offered a glowing portrayal of his leadership as President. This was a man who had recently experienced a difficult re-election process and was worn down by the events of the Civil War. Those newspaper clippings talked to him about himself, about how his leadership of the nation had made all the difference. In the dark nights where he was all by himself, where the only sound he could hear was the sheer silence of the world about him, those words spoke to him and affirmed him. It wasn’t a question of ego, but it was one of a humble approach to a sacred duty. Those encouraging words provided a window where he could not only see a different world but also fight for that world, the kind of world that he believed we are all called to believe in. The reality is that the world we believe in is often far from reach. And the tragedy of life is one where someone reminds us each day that we are not where we are supposed to be. I cannot even begin to imagine how the families of the eight people killed at the spa in Atlanta this past Tuesday evening are feeling. I understand that a couple among the eight had an eight-month-old. I can hear the family asking questions, inviting someone - even the killer - to talk to them. To explain why. "Talk to me! Why such a senseless tragedy?" Was the killing a part of the recent rise in violence against Asians? I do not know. But thinking about all of this reminds me of a conversation between Rumi, a Persian poet and mystic, and a disciple. Talk to me, Rumi: What is Poison? He replied with a beautiful answer – Anything which is more than our necessity is poison. It may be power, wealth, hunger, ego, greed, laziness, love, ambition, hate... or anything. What is Fear…..? Non-acceptance of uncertainty. If we accept that uncertainty, it becomes adventure…! What is Envy? Non-acceptance of good in others If we accept that good, it becomes inspiration…! What is Anger? Non-acceptance of things that are beyond our control. If we accept, it becomes tolerance…! What is Hatred? Non-acceptance of a person as is. If we accept a person unconditionally, it becomes LOVE…! Accept as it is, and transform your life. Talk to me. Empower me. Fill my void, but not with flattery because I may not believe you. And although I may not like it when you criticize me, I will never forget when you encourage me. Transformation is only possible when you talk, and when you bless with encouraging words. Manny.

If I knew you and you knew me, And each of us could clearly see By that inner light divine The meaning of your heart and mine; I’m sure that we would differ less And clasp our hands in friendliness, If you knew me, and I knew you. from Howard Thurman’s Mediations of the Heart located in Chapter “Life is Alive”

The Spiritual Life Commission invites everyone to join us on Zoom for our Wednesday Evening Lenten Series, which centers on our 2021 theme - Be God's Light that Shines in the Darkness. Each week, we host a presenter who gives their perspective on this theme, and tonight we're blessed to have Lesley DiFransico, Professor at Loyola University, Maryland, offer her perspective. Everyone is welcome to be with us for this popular series. We sent the Zoom details out earlier, but if you would like them sent to you directly, please email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org

When for a purpose I had prayed and prayed and prayed Until my words seemed worn and bare With arduous use, And I had knocked and asked and knocked and asked again, And all my fervor and persistence brought no hope, I paused to give my weary brain a rest And ceased my anxious human cry. in that still moment, After self had tried and failed, There came a glorious vision of God's power, And, lo, my prayer was answered in that hour. ~ Lowell Fillmore

The stars are shining in heaven tonight follow their path to God's glorious light we will shine in the glory of the divine seeking His righteousness through time The eyes of God are always upon me the stars shining, dwelling in eternal glory The peace of God transcending on this heart My God's light prevailing among the dark It's Your light, your stars in the sky that twinkle that stirs in my waking eye the beauty that I long to embrace the glory of God that I always chase Your light is endless, no boundaries it holds Your light leads to glory, to a path paved in gold Your light shines so marvelous for every eye to see You are the light, my life, you live within me. by Todd Fletcher