Letter from the Pastor – February 2024
Dear Church,
The season of Lent of begins this month. This year Ash Wednesday is on February 14th. To mark that occasion Central Woodward will be hosting a joint Bible study for the congregations of CWCC, Northminster, Starr, and First Presbyterian churches, and Congregational Church of Birmingham (UCC). These five congregations will gather on the afternoon of the 14th to observe the beginning of Lent through study and communal prayer. There will be more information on this in the coming weeks.
As for our congregation, we will be following the Lenten devotional “Go to Jerusalem” by Mary Alice Mulligan. The devotionals are available at the church. There are a limited number, but you are invited to come and take one for you and your family. Also, there will be the opportunity to share in devotional time and fellowship together at three Lenten suppers hosted by the Elders. On three Wednesdays in lent -2/21, 3/6, 3/20- we will gather at the church at 6 pm to share in a light supper and go through some of the week’s devotionals together. This will be a special opportunity to share with one another what we are learning and experiencing during Lent. Again, there will be more information about this opportunity in the weeks to come.
In the introduction to the “Go to Jerusalem” devotionals it asks us to imagine that Jesus is extending his hand to us at this time and saying, “Beloved disciple, let’s go to Jerusalem.” To walk with Christ is always a journey of faith. During Lent we are reminded that the journey will confront us with some obstacles, and it will take us into some deep valleys. Certainly, our faith and our spiritual life will grow through such experiences. However, to walk with Jesus this Lent we are also reminded that it is not just about the journey. The destination very much matters, as well. At Lent, as we prepare for Easter Sunday, it is especially important to remember that Jesus is leading us to Jerusalem, and even though the road is difficult it is a place we must go.
In our spiritual lives, and in our walk of faith, we go to Jerusalem with Jesus. It is a place we go to experience death, but also resurrection. The road to Jerusalem may lead to the passing away of something old -something that was holding us back, something that caused harm, something we no longer have a use for in our lives (or perhaps never did). Still, going to Jerusalem will also lead us to experience the coming of something new -new life, new possibilities, a new relationship with Jesus, the one who has always been walking with us.
I look forward to our Lenten journey together,
Pastor Zach