ON THE COVER:
There's Always More to the Story...
by Pastor Mary Pechauer
Some years ago I learned about something called the
Six-Word Memoir Project. It had become a global
phenomenon. The project was first imagined by an
editor for SMITH magazine. He’d been inspired by
the legend that Ernest Hemingway had once been
challenged to write a story in six words. Hemmingway
wrote: "For sale; baby shoes, never worn." The
magazine issued a similar challenge to its readership with a personal twist:
describe your life in exactly six words. This got me thinking. What six words
would I choose?
Turns out, one of my mantras is exactly six words! I’m not sure it meets the
criteria of describing my life, but it’s a phrase that has taken up permanent
residence in my brain: "There’s always more to the story." This expression
cultivates in me curiosity, compassion and humility.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 14. Every year during the six
weeks prior to Easter the church focuses on stories of Jesus as he makes his way
to the cross. On Palm Sunday the focus narrows to Jesus’ last week before his
crucifixion. Then on Easter we proclaim the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.
But wait… there’s more to the story!
The story of what happens between Palm Sunday and
Easter Sunday is rich with meaning and essential for
understanding who God is. It’s the fundamental story
in shaping who we are in our claim to be Christian. Yet
many people miss this part of the story because it only
gets told during Holy Week services when fewer people
are able to attend.
February 18:
John 18:1-11
Betrayal & Arrest of
Jesus
February 25:
John 18:12-27
Peter Denies Jesus
It's the
fundamental
story in shaping
who we are
March 4:
John 18:28-40
in our claim Jesus Before Pilate
to be Christian.
So this year join us as we engage more deeply with the story of Jesus’ life in his
last earthly days. Story unTold is the name of the series. On Sundays we’ll tell the
story of what happens between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday as recorded in
the book of John. Wednesday worship will be unique too. Holden Evening Prayer
along with different music ensembles will shape our liturgy and Pastors will
preach on Jesus’ “I AM” statements inviting us to envision how Jesus’ identity
shapes who we are today.
See you in church—
The stories we tell reveal something
about who we are. Some stories get
told more than others. The story of
Jesus holds details that define us,
but we often move quickly through
the drama of his last earthly days.
This year we’re slowing the pace and
digging into the details of what makes
Christian faith unique: Jesus, fully
human, fully divine dies on a cross for
us.
March 11:
John 19:1-16a
Jesus Condemned
March 18:
John 19:16b-30
Jesus Crucified
March 25:
John 12:12-27
Palm Sunday
Read more about what's happening
during Lent on Page 5.
Next CONNECT deadline:
February 10, 2018
[email protected]
CONNECT newsletter online
bethlehem-church.org
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