Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ! I remember what may have been among the most radical ideas I learned for the first time in seminary. Prior to taking a course on the Christian liturgical year, I had not consciously thought of the passage of time through any lens but the western calendar, a passing of seconds, minutes, hours, and then elements of that fixed 365 days broken into weeks, months and years. Decades passed as measurements of life’s passing, in individual or family mortal spans and in wider historical eras. Among those measurements was the designation of Sunday, a day of Sabbath rest. Enter the Christian liturgical year. For such a times as ours, I hope that this particular Sunday’s value will be new. Its significance to you before now may have been only the marking of mid-winter known by association to Punxatawny Phil the groundhog, but offers more certain hope in our Christian year. We remember the presentation of Jesus by his parents at the temple in Jerusalem, a day called Candlemas in some Christian traditions. This moment in the liturgical year falls between Christ’s birth Christmas and the resurrection we celebrate at Easter.
So, as we gather tomorrow in celebration of the sacrament of Communion, a chief ritual in our religious practice, I invite us all to remember that we live in a time marked by hope, which looks back on God’s prior gifts with gratitude and forward to God’s promises with praise. I invite us to celebrate that our time is not only marked by lives measured in bodily circumstances, but by deeply spiritual, holy times such as these.
Blessings and peace, Lisa
Worship at Home Materials: We will be offering worship in-person as well as on Zoom this coming Sunday. Coffee & tea are available after the church service. Masks are suggested in the sanctuary and required during the singing of hymns, as the virus spreads most easily with the projection of droplets.
Children’s Message
Psalm 84 NCH p.675 Psalm 84
A Reading from the Epistles Hebrews 2:14-18
A Reading from the Gospels Luke 2:22-40
Message “Midway Points and Presentations” Pastor Lisa
Below you will find materials to accompany this week’s Sunday Morning Worship via Zoom. An order of service with scripture readings, to accompany the service, are available by clicking the following links.
Helpful Hint: If you are planning to join the Sunday morning worship Zoom call, you might wish to print the following documents prior to joining the call, if you have that capability.
*A link to the sermon will be shared on our website during the week following the service.
Worship Bulletin:
February 2, 2025
Service of Worship for Home
To join us for worship via Zoom, please use the following information.
Whether or not you choose to set up an account, when it’s time for the meeting, click the following link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83669540416
Meeting ID: 836 6954 0416
Passcode: 349769