Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. —1 John 4:11-12 (NIV) Jesus said, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. --John 13:35 How do we put that love into action? Serve one another. The Lord modeled this when He washed His disciples’ feet. Be patient with one another. This is possible because of the Spirit’s presence in us. Be courteous to one another. Even if someone is difficult or disagreeable, treat them with gentleness and love. Set an example for one another in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity (1 Timothy 4:12). Forgive one another because God forgave us. If we do not extend forgiveness, God will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:15). We are not to judge one another. That is the Lord’s job. We may be called to rebuke or reprove in love, but we are not to judge. Be subject one to another. That will mean not always having things our way. Edify one another. We are to encourage and build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for one another. What a privilege to come before the Lord on another’s behalf. ~Excerpted with permission from Wisdom for Each Day by Billy Graham, copyright the Billy Graham Literary Trust.

The Spiritual Life Commission invites everyone to the first evening of our popular Wednesday Evening Lenten Supper Series, which centers on our 2019 theme - Love, Re-imagined. Each week, we will host a different individual who'll give us their perspective on this theme. This Wednesday, March 13th, we are pleased to welcome the Rev. Walter Earl Mullins as our presenter. Each Wednesday evening begins with a potluck dinner from 6:30-7:00 p.m., followed by that week’s presenter from 7:00-8:00 p.m., and finishes with an informal Eucharist from 8:00-8:30 p.m. This event is held in the Lower Level of New Brick, and we hope that you’ll join us for this exceptional series of fellowship, discussion, and prayer. If you have any questions, please email us.

Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness, So that we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbors. And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbors. Let the earth, nourished by the rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty. And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven. Rabbi Harold Kushner – 2003

You are here not by chance, but by God's choosing. His hand formed you, and made you the person you are. He compares you to no one else. You are one of a kind. You lack nothing that His grace can't give you. He has allowed you to be here at this time in history. To allow you to fulfill His special purpose for this generation. You are the beloved.

This is the First Sunday in Lent. The Collect of the Day: Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Readings for this Sunday are: Deuteronomy 26:1-11 Romans 10:8b-13 Luke 4:1-13 Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16

How easy it is to get wrapped up In our own little universe The cocoon of the daily grind Of going about our business Trying to protect our turf 'Cause we're more fragile than we let on We live in fear that aggressors surround us Propelling us to not forget and not forgive Yet when we step back and Focus on the meaning of our life On the direction we want to take And the legacy we'll leave behind We do want to be kinder and Contribute to a better world Not just for us but for mankind And in the end we'll face our Maker Standing alone solely accountable For our deeds and misdeeds Responsible for our own journey For how we cultivated our heart And the goodwill we did impart When tallied will we have done enough Or will we be asking for forgiveness For barely missing a passing grade With this in mind and while it's not too late Let's take stock of what's in our heart All start practicing forgiveness, And letting go of the past as we realize To forgive is to set ourselves free. ~James Edward Lee, Sr.

We began our Lenten journey with the Ash Wednesday ritual of the imposition of Ashes on our foreheads. Throughout the world, millions of Christians willingly walked to the sanctuary, knelt or stood up, and heard sounds echoing human mortality. Within those words sit our beginning and our end. Yes, the beauty of being human is to live, and yes, it is to die as well. But within the interval of our lives are sounds of God’s call to us. It is the sound of a voice that may be pleasantly terrifying, filled with curiosity and wonder. I can picture, in my mind’s eye, Abraham’s reaction at hearing the sound of God’s call. How terrifying must that have been! Remember the story about the prophet Samuel who, as a boy, heard the sound of God’s call as he slept in the pitch darkness of the temple? Remember the story about angel Gabriel as he greeted Mary? Think about that sound. And yes, remember the shepherds who were watching their flocks by night and suddenly heard the sound, the beautiful sound about God’s glory. Remember the sound from the heavens during Jesus’ Baptism? There are so many sounds that we hear of God reaching out to us. But the question is, do you hear the sound of God’s voice? The interesting bit about the sound of God’s voice is that there’s no particular way in which it comes through to us; it may either be rugged and hoarse, or it maybe that smooth, calming voice we hear inviting us to the table of thanksgiving. In whichever way you hear the voice, I think the sound of God’s voice helps us to refocus and to ask questions... "What’s my purpose? What is God calling me to do? What is God’s plan for me? And the most intriguing question is, do I fit into God’s overarching plan?" The reality is that we often appear confused, or even lost. And this is because we long for depth, purpose, and relationships. And we believe, ever more deeply, that our longings are, for the most part, geared towards being fulfilled by the immeasurable abundance from God’s store. The point isn’t as much as God coming to us in a cacophony of sounds, rather, do we have the ear to hear any sound, and especially the sound of God’s voice? An English poet by the name David Whyte tells the story of an old Irish monk who stood alone at the edge of his monastery and heard the toll of the church bell calling him to prayer. He says to himself, "That is the most beautiful sound in the world." For it is the call to depth, to dwell in the place of imagination and creativity; it is the place where we discover our true self, and the presence of God within us. But just within the moment of the toll from the church bell, he hears the echoing sound of a blackbird calling from out in a field. He says to himself, "That's also the most beautiful sound in the world." This is the call to adventure, to set out toward new horizons, to go out into world right now, as we are, and offer our gift. Two different sounds - from a bell and a bird - but the commonality between the two is that inherent call within them, the feeling that we're being summoned, either by the circumstances of our lives or an internal, driving energy that all spiritual traditions attribute to the sound of the voice of the God who calls us. I think that the idea or the sense of being called to something, or somewhere, is the most powerful and persuasive of spiritual encounters that we can ever experience. Yes, there’s nothing otherworldly about hearing the sound of God’s voice. It is uniquely a human experience, and precisely because it is a human experience is the reason why at its heart sits the value of choice. And especially during this season of Lent, we can hear the sound of the voice that calls us to slow down, take some time for prayer, escape the tyranny of the calendar, put the phone away a little, fast if you can, and pay attention. For it is through such practices that we are able to discern the gentle nudging to attend to our lives and all that is going on around us, just so we may be able to respond with love and faithfulness. Thoughts about the two sounds the monk heard reminds me of what Thich Nhat Hanh said about being a monk: “To be a monk is to have time to practice for your transformation and healing. And after that, to help with the transformation and healing of other people.” Which sound do you hear: the toll of the bell, or the song of the blackbird, or both? Within each sound is an invitation from God, and within each invitation is an awaiting transformation of the self and of others. Lent is about hearing the toll of the bell, and the song of the blackbird. Manny.

Love is a verb. As Christians, it is what we do — in imitation of Christ. In the post-Eucharist prayer, we ask to be sent "into the world in peace", and granted "strength and courage to love and serve” our Lord, "with gladness and . . . .” Remember? Last week at the Dorsey Center, where our group went to serve lunch, I met Pete. He was there to wash dishes, for both serving groups of the day. I asked him why we were so fortunate as to have an extra participant for such a grungy task. He told me that he had once been the recipient of such meals and that now he wanted to contribute to the effort. Pete was offering his love, by washing dishes two days a week, for four plus hours each of those days. Love, as a verb, doesn’t always require so much time or effort. It can be giving a sandwich to the beggar at the intersection. It can be offering a ride to a neighbor, who temporarily cannot drive. It can be taking the time to speak to a newcomer at Christ Church. It can be swallowing one’s pride, saying “I’m sorry, I have forgotten your name, but we met just last week”. Showing love can be done a hundred times a day, in all the little things we do.

The first Saturday in Lent, March 9th, will set the stage for our Lenten Reflection Day, taking place from 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon in Old Brick. This year we are blessed to be joined by The Reverend Lura Kaval, Vicar of Church of the Incarnation in Mineral, Virginia. She will lead us in prayer and meditation as we examine our 2019 theme, "Love, Re-imagined". A light breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. with the day's program to follow, and then concluding around midday with an informal Eucharist. We hope that you'll find time to join us for some, or all, of this very special morning.

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Ash Wednesday is one of the more peculiar days on the Church’s calendar. On this day, we are not only reminded of our mortality but we are reminded of whence we came, or were made of. To get our thoughts and minds ready for the season, we will have services at Christ Church at 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon in Old Brick, and also at 7:30 p.m. in New Brick. Christ Church will also offer "Ashes To Go" on Ash Wednesday, from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. We will offer a short prayer, and administer the Ashes on those who cannot be with us in worship that morning, but who desire the them, nonetheless. Simply stop by the "Ashes To Go" banner, which will be near the main entrance.