so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. – Romans 12:5
– last week’s lecture
Tuesday morning, just before lunch, I had a good two-thirds or more of my Wednesday evening “Lenten Lecture” not only outlined but fleshed out and ready to go. I had been working on it since Saturday. Then I remembered I was supposed to write an article about the lecture for the church “Wednesday Update” that goes out weekly.
I completed the article, hit “save” on my computer and then – inexplicably – gave the file the exact same title as my lecture. Two clicks later (and less than a microsecond before I realized what I was doing) I had erased the entire eleven-page document and replaced it with the half-page newsletter piece.
Rebekah says she may have heard my scream all the way across the street in her office.
So, back to square one.
The Good News:
The good news is that I have all of today to prepare – again – for this evening. I kind of know where I had intended to go with the lecture so reconstruction should not be impossible.
Regardless of how I word my presentation, the bottom line remains the same. We – as a congregation – are committed to a Lenten journey that will take us all the way to Easter and encourage a deepening spiritual walk along the way.
The unifying theme for this evening is going to be the idea of belonging – “in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
Here is what went out on our church email blast. Hopefully, it will communicate. And, even more hopefully, I pray that I will have reconstructed enough of my “lecture” to be able to make the evening work.
Good morning, friends. First, please join us at 6:45 this evening in the sanctuary for the 2nd talk in the 2025 Lenten Lecture Series, Reaching Toward Easter. I will be sharing about olive harvests in Tuscany, Queen Elizabeth II, “the good stuff” and my grandfather’s Bible.
And now, looking forward to this coming week’s readings, I want all of us to think deeply about the impact the Good News can have on a confused, broken and hurting world.
In 1975, when I was very young and quite possibly reckless, I helped to smuggle Bibles and medical supplies into the Soviet Union. The experience gave me an up-close look at what happens when the freedom of worship is taken away, when our freedom of speech is curtailed, when groups of people are targeted for harassment and exclusion based on faith and politics, and when there is no due process under the law.
This was the kind of climate where Jesus shared his radical message of hope, of love, of inclusion and of forgiveness. Jesus offered (and offers) peace and promise and healing and assurance. Most profoundly, he lived as God’s invitation to return home. “I am the gate,” Jesus said in John 10. “I want you to enjoy abundant life. I want you to know the power of God’s love.”
During this coming week, please read John 16:1-27. If you have “Reaching Toward Easter”, read chapters 17-23. Ask God to guide you on this journey.
