We do the Lent services together for several reasons: first because our churches want to continue to partner together in serving our neighborhood. In order to better serve our neighbors, we want to deepen our partnership together. One of the best ways to do that is to not only serve together, but to feast and worship together. We're getting really good at all three!
Another reason for meeting together has to do with Lent: this season of the church calendar can get pretty "me" focused. It's often what "I" give up for Lent. Which is good, but it's also good to focus on community. Lent is a time for giving something up, but each Sunday of Lent is also like a mini-Easter, and what better way to celebrate a Sunday than with fellow believers from different church traditions.
One more reason: we pastors can have a very lonely job. It's too easy for pastors from different churches in the same neighborhood to get suspicious of each other, to get competitive, and to stay ignorant. I don't want that - and neither to the churches we partner with. By getting together like this, each pastor gets to host the other pastors and their congregations, each pastor gets to be under the teaching of the other pastors, and to experience their gifts and hospitality.
We meet next week (3.22) at Grace Presbyterian - 6pm; then the week after (3.29) at Trinity Lutheran. Join us if you can!
1 comment:
Tim,
you said this Sunday is Grace, one schedule says it's Trinity Lutheran, and another united Methodist. I know if we'd been to church this morning it would be clear as a bell ... which is it?
:P
Paul Neher
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