Dear Beloved Community at CCSM,
Greetings to you in this special time of our church year as we straddle the exuberant joy of Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday and the somber melancholy of Ash Wednesday. I had the great pleasure on Sunday of being able to see our kids decorating Mardi Gras masks and learning about its significance in the Memorial Garden. I encourage each of you to find some way to lean into celebration in some way on Tuesday this week (be it through pancakes or otherwise!).
And, what a tremendous service we had this past Sunday! If you missed it, I really encourage you to go back and watch. Rev. Dr. David Vasquez-Levy is truly an incredible preacher and the relevance to this moment that he drew from the story of Jacob wrestling in the night and undergoing a profound shift in his identity deeply resonated with me. David shared how we as humanity are also at a turning point right now, striving to leave behind what we must so we can truly embrace God's good future ahead of us. We were also so blessed by amazing music from the Z Quartet that was just so moving and such a balm for our hearts in these difficult times.
This coming Wednesday, we will gather for worship to mark Ash Wednesday and the beginning of our Lenten season. I encourage you to come as you are able to receive ashes, to reflect on our human mortality, and to make your own commitment for this year's 40 day period of preparation for Easter. You can join us at 7:15pm in Kloss Hall. We'll be focusing in worship this year on the idea of how rituals help us mark different moments and seasons in our lives. Please do consider reading the book For Small Creatures Such as We: Rituals for Finding Meaning in our Unlikely World by Sasha Sagan which will serve as the inspiration for our series.
On Sunday, March 6, we will begin our Lent Sermon series, titled "Finding Meaning in Our Unlikely World." I will be preaching on the story of the prodigal son, but focused less on the characters themselves and more on the need of the father to celebrate the son's return—to mark that transition to make it real. I am so delighted to have the privilege of preaching and I so look forward to seeing many of you in worship and reading the comments from those of you worshipping online.
Please do reach out any time with any prayer requests or concerns, any joys or sorrows on your heart. And please do hold the people of Ukraine in your prayers and know you are joining with people of faith and goodwill all around the world when you do. May the grieving be comforted, the displaced receive welcome, and may peace and justice prevail very soon.
In peace and love,
Sheryl
