Upcoming Sermon Series:
Join me in a 40-day Challenge!
by Pastor Mary Pechauer
Dear Friends in Christ,
I’ve been hearing a lot about Marie Kondo lately. Having
published a couple of books and landed a series on
Netflix, she’s captured the imagination of people around
the world. Her mission is to help others tidy up. That
strikes me as a little trite but she’s making a positive
impact in people’s lives, motivating them to be better for
and in the world. It’s hard to argue with that. In a recent
interview, she spoke about why she thinks people are drawn to her philosophy:
“we all have problems,” she said, “we all have clutter in our hearts and that’s what
needs tidying”.
This philosophy is not dissimilar to why the church year includes the season of
Lent. We all have clutter in our hearts —things that get in the way of growing
in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our world is noisy. Our lives
are busy. We neglect God and look past the needs of
"Lent is a
others. Lent is a season for slowing down, reflecting and
season for
returning to the story of Jesus who makes his way to the
cross that we might know the life-giving sacrificial depth
slowing down,
of God’s love.
Because there’s a connection between external act and
internal disposition, (physical activity increases energy
and clarity in thought), the church encourages certain
spiritual disciplines to bring a particular intention to
daily life, keeping God at the center of all we say and do.
These outward practices help to reorient our hearts. The
way we order our lives matters.
reflection and
returning to the
story of Jesus
who makes
his way to the
cross that we
might know
the life-giving
sacrificial depth
of God’s love."
For the next 6 weeks, we invite you to participate in a
particular Lenten discipline as an entire congregation.
What impact could we have if we engaged in the same
daily discipline as a congregation? We’re calling it the
40 day challenge. There will be a card available for you to
take home that will suggest a daily challenge. There will also be a video message
available on social media. The daily challenges are for every age, so participate
with your family or a group of friends. Check in with each other and tell one
another about how each challenge is making a difference for or for someone else.
We don’t know what will happen exactly, but led by the Spirit, we follow Jesus in
faith, blessed by strength and courage to be witnesses of God’s goodness and love.
See you in church!
Pastor Mary
Next CONNECT deadline for the May/June issue:
April 10, 2019
The format is bi-monthly. Submissions can be sent to Whitney Stofflet,
[email protected].
CONNECT newsletter online
bethlehem-church.org
2
It’s not always
fun. Often you
find yourself in a
surprising place
and not one you
were expecting.
Sometimes it feels like you are being
dragged kicking and screaming. But
this is the story of faith. The Spirit
is a powerful force giving us strength
and courage to face the unknown. The
Spirit draws us into the life of Jesus
and through the Spirit God blesses us
with insight for where faith and life
meet.
March 6:
Ash Wednesday
Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
March 10:
Temptation
Luke 4:1-13
March 17:
Lament
Luke 13:31-35
March 24:
Repent
Luke 13:1-9
March 31:
Lost
Luke 15:1-3,11b-32
April 7:
Anointed
John 12:1-8
April 14:
Palm Sunday
Triumphal Entry
Luke 19:28-40
April 18:
Maundy Thursday
John 13:1-17,31b-35
April 19:
Good Friday
John 18/19
April 21:
Easter
John 20