Here at FCCE, the Lenten season began with a morning Ash Wednesday service with the imposition of ashes on our foreheads reminding us that we “are dust and to dust we shall return.”
I crafted a creative service to prepare our hearts for Lent. The service was light in attendance. The worship format was more suiting for a larger group. The sermon in form of a meditation was for a bigger group. But, the Holy Spirit worked in a mysterious way where the service turned into a valuable moment with collaborative discussion, deep reflection over the Gospel lesson, and reflective sharing.
Therefore, what I had originally prepared was tossed away. It was service that focused more on listening—listening to the words, listening to prayers, and listening to God. The morning was a good reminder to all of us that God works in mysterious ways that are both good and transformative. I pray that in this Lenten season, you all find the opportunity to pause, be still, and listen.
“If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there for us all in Jesus Christ.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Blessings,
Pastor Holgie
