Grace to you and peace, from God our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Before I myself forget, this week’s almsgiving for Lent is glasses, whether old pairs of our own, or new readers we might purchase at a drug store. 

Perhaps with this gift we may think of Jesus’ restoring sight to the blind and continue to think of the ways we may do God’s work by different means, with our own gifts.  Jesus’ abilities may sometimes seem so miraculous that we forget their very practical application.  The blind were given sight; the lame walked; the dead were resurrected.  Wait, what?  As we move through Holy Week, knowing with hindsight that we are looking toward Easter, we may forget the story of Jesus’ raising Lazarus.  Tied this week to the prophetic account of the dry bones in Ezekiel, this story of new life and hopefulness invites us toward hope, as well.  In our worship and in our fellowship together, we pray to grow our hope and our resilience.  Join us? 

Blessings and peace, Lisa

Worship at Home Materials:

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. We ask that if you have not yet been vaccinated you attend worship via Zoom. 

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.  

Sermon:*  

A Reading from the Epistles                Ephesians 5:8-14                                

Message       “Sleepers Awake!”                  Pastor Lisa

*A link to the sermon will be shared on our website during the week following the service.

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. We ask that if you have not
yet been vaccinated you attend worship via Zoom. 

A Reading from the Hebrew Bible                Jonah1:1-6                   

Message                      “A Great Fish”         George Robbins

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. 

Grace to you and peace, from God Our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Trust, perseverance, windstorms, birth and rebirth . . . our worship tomorrow focuses on significant stories from both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and when we talk about windstorms, we may only look out the window to know what may be experienced.  It will be snowy outside as we make our way to the sanctuary in the morning, but it will also be warm and spirit filled.  Join us for worship and to enjoy coffee, treats, and the warmth of fellowship in Fisher Hall afterwards.  

Please do know that tonight’s Dolly Fisher Coffee house has been cancelled, but we look forward to a return on April 1st!  Stay safe and warm at home while the plowtrucks do their work!

Blessings and peace, Lisa

Grace to you and peace, from God Our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ!  It was fun to bump into Darryl at the Co-op today and have him ask with affirmation, “tomorrow is bread Sunday, right?”  Yes, we care for others by bringing bread to church as we enter the season of Lent.  At our Ash Wednesday service, we spoke of our invitation into the season, which includes both looking inward in self-reflection and repentance as we turn toward God, and also looking outward while “giving alms,” caring for others as we turn to God in other ways.  Finding personal balance and community energy can be a goal for us this fast season as we prepare our hearts on the journey toward Holy Week that continues tomorrow.  

Words like holy and fast are new for some of us and deserve our attention as we consider what it means to grow our faith and faithfulness.  See you at church!

Blessings, Lisa

Grace to you and peace, from God Our Creator and the Lord Jesus Christ!  “That’s unbelievable!”  You may have uttered these words a dozen times in the past year, not really considering what it means to make the statement.  What does it mean to say that we believe in something, or don’t?  Does our belief or unbelief affect whether something is real or not?  In the stories we hear from scripture this weekend are startling occurrences, which draw a variety of responses in the moment and even now as we read about them.  We may look at our reactions as closely as we regard the events themselves, to wonder what is real and what we believe God is capable of.  On this Transfiguration Sunday, join together to know ways we are inspired by God’s brilliance and are called to respond. 

Blessings, Lisa