Greetings Siblings in Christ,
God’s peace and blessing to you all. I pray that you all are well, and staying warm this winter season. As I write this newsletter, we are nearing the end of January, and we are between the busy seasons of Christmas and Lent. The Church calendar labels this period as ordinary time. However, many Christians associate this time with Epiphany, often using language like ”time/Sunday after Epiphany.” Overall, this time of the year is slower, minus the preparation that goes into the planning of our congregation's annual meeting. Nevertheless, this slowness and the preparation for the annual meeting lends well to leaving time and space for reflection. Thus, I have been thinking a lot about the Church, our congregations, and the world. The other day I was listening to and singing hymns, and there was one particular hymn that spoke to me. This hymn was the song All Are Welcome (ELW 641), which was written and compassed by the famous Lutheran composer, Marty Haugen. The first verse of the All Are Welcome goes like this:
Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live, a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive. Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace; here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
Refrain: All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
This is the verse of the hymn that particularly spoke to me. In this day and age, it often feels like we live in a world that seems to be so divided. However, this hymn speaks of a place where divisions end, a place where we “build a house where love can dwell.” Thus, the question is how does one build this house? The hymn says the house is “built of hope, and dreams, and visions.” However, how do these things come about?
Well, on February 18th, we begin the season of Lent, and this season serves as a time of prayer, reflection, and repentance. This year our theme for Lent is “Dwelling”. Thus, over the 40 days of Lent, together we will contemplate what it means to dwell: to dwell in God, to dwell in each other, and to dwell in the world. In a world that is so often divided, it is important for us to learn how to dwell. To dwell, is to be fully present. It is to learn how to abide and to fully listen. It is to be attentive to whom or to what is in front of us. Furthermore, dwelling is not a short-term affair, but to dwell is to live or remain somewhere or with someone for a period of time. Thus, to dwell is a commitment to sit, listen, and remain with God and with each other. When we do this, we are led into hope, and we come to learn about the dreams and visions that God has in store for us. So, together we will learn what it means for us to dwell. We will discuss this in worship. However, there will also be a weekly Bible study where we will reflect on scripture by using the prayer practice called “Dwelling on the Word.” More information about that can be found on a different page.
During these 40 days, I pray that we may come to fully understand how to dwell. However, since we are entering into Lent, we are reminded that as human beings we often sin, and fail to truly dwell with God and with each other. Thus, in this time of Lent, we are called to repent, and as we do so we are reminded that we have a God who dwells with us through Jesus Christ, who is God’s word! In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul say “16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” Thus, as we go into this season of Lent, into this time reflection, let us do so knowing that Christ dwells in us, and through him we will learn how to “build a house where love can dwell.” And so, thanks be to God, in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
God’s peace and blessing to you all. I pray that you all are well, and staying warm this winter season. As I write this newsletter, we are nearing the end of January, and we are between the busy seasons of Christmas and Lent. The Church calendar labels this period as ordinary time. However, many Christians associate this time with Epiphany, often using language like ”time/Sunday after Epiphany.” Overall, this time of the year is slower, minus the preparation that goes into the planning of our congregation's annual meeting. Nevertheless, this slowness and the preparation for the annual meeting lends well to leaving time and space for reflection. Thus, I have been thinking a lot about the Church, our congregations, and the world. The other day I was listening to and singing hymns, and there was one particular hymn that spoke to me. This hymn was the song All Are Welcome (ELW 641), which was written and compassed by the famous Lutheran composer, Marty Haugen. The first verse of the All Are Welcome goes like this:
Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live, a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive. Built of hopes and dreams and visions, rock of faith and vault of grace; here the love of Christ shall end divisions:
Refrain: All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.
This is the verse of the hymn that particularly spoke to me. In this day and age, it often feels like we live in a world that seems to be so divided. However, this hymn speaks of a place where divisions end, a place where we “build a house where love can dwell.” Thus, the question is how does one build this house? The hymn says the house is “built of hope, and dreams, and visions.” However, how do these things come about?
Well, on February 18th, we begin the season of Lent, and this season serves as a time of prayer, reflection, and repentance. This year our theme for Lent is “Dwelling”. Thus, over the 40 days of Lent, together we will contemplate what it means to dwell: to dwell in God, to dwell in each other, and to dwell in the world. In a world that is so often divided, it is important for us to learn how to dwell. To dwell, is to be fully present. It is to learn how to abide and to fully listen. It is to be attentive to whom or to what is in front of us. Furthermore, dwelling is not a short-term affair, but to dwell is to live or remain somewhere or with someone for a period of time. Thus, to dwell is a commitment to sit, listen, and remain with God and with each other. When we do this, we are led into hope, and we come to learn about the dreams and visions that God has in store for us. So, together we will learn what it means for us to dwell. We will discuss this in worship. However, there will also be a weekly Bible study where we will reflect on scripture by using the prayer practice called “Dwelling on the Word.” More information about that can be found on a different page.
During these 40 days, I pray that we may come to fully understand how to dwell. However, since we are entering into Lent, we are reminded that as human beings we often sin, and fail to truly dwell with God and with each other. Thus, in this time of Lent, we are called to repent, and as we do so we are reminded that we have a God who dwells with us through Jesus Christ, who is God’s word! In Colossians 3:16, the Apostle Paul say “16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.” Thus, as we go into this season of Lent, into this time reflection, let us do so knowing that Christ dwells in us, and through him we will learn how to “build a house where love can dwell.” And so, thanks be to God, in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan
