Letter from the Pastor – Lent 2026
Dear Church,
As you read this letter we will have officially entered the season of Lent. During this season the church liturgy turns its attention to matters of our human mortality; sin and temptation, self-discipline (such as fasting), wandering in wilderness, and of course, death. With that as the focus, sometimes we can lose sight of the Good News of Christianity. For although in Jesus’s life there was struggle and temptation and, eventually, death, none of that takes away from the Good News which was at the heart of his teaching and the movement that has grown out of it.
This Good News is the focus of the Lenten Devotional we will be sharing and reading from this Lent. It is called “Tell Me Something Good: Grounding Ourselves in the Good News This Lent.” It is put together by the organization Sanctified Art. There are still copies available, for free, outside of the sanctuary. The devotional uses art, poetry, scripture, and theological reflection to guide our Lenten journey towards Jerusalem and Holy Week. All along the way, we will be reminded of what the Good News of Christ is, and the many ways that it can manifest in the world today, even among all the bad or difficult news that we are faced with on a regular basis.
These devotionals are for your personal use and to guide your personal spiritual journey through Lent, but we will also be using them in community. During Lent, we will once again be hosting three (3) mid-week meals as a time to come together for fellowship and devotion. These meals will include a time of table discussion around the themes of the devotional. These suppers will be held on Wednesday March 4th and March 18th at 6 pm in Fellowship Hall. The third meal will be on Good Friday, April 3rd, also at 6 pm. This meal will be followed by a Good Friday observance in the sanctuary.
I hope this Lenten season can be a reminder that through all the difficulties we face in life, and the hard times we may have to live through, Jesus still offers us Good News. Even in the wilderness and even in the shadow of death. What we are called to do is to stay vigilant in making ourselves receptive to that Good News. And of course, one of the bits of Good News that we can cling to is that we are never on the journey alone. I hope that you will join with us at Central Woodward this Lent as we share in the Good News as a community.
Peace on the journey,
Pastor Zach