kathrynulrich@charter.net

February brings with it the lengthening of days, and the edging closer to spring. Spring means that we are close to Easter, and before Easter comes, we have the 40 days of Lent. Lent, meaning Spring, starts on February 17^th this year with Ash Wednesday. We Worship at 7:00 p.m.

Ashes are placed on our foreheads to indicate that we are from the dust, the adam, and to dust we shall return. This is held in sharp contrast to Holy Communion that is also present at this service. Yeah, we are from dust. We are human, and our bodies will not live forever. But, we also have Jesus. Jesus who came to earth out of God’s love for us. Jesus, who loves us so much that he is willing to die for us, forgive us our sins, make it possible for us to forgive one another, and to live a full and abundant life together in Jesus’ name.

During Lent, we consider our sinfulness, our need to repent and turn again towards God, and we live in hope of the coming resurrection of Jesus Christ that is celebrated on Easter.  This year, Easter falls on April 4^th.

Before Lent gets here, we have some more of the Gospel of Luke to explore.  Crazy, God given abundance awaits the followers of Jesus on the very first Sunday in February.  The story of Jesus filling the nets full for Simon, James and John is breath taking.  Imagine a catch that so abundant that the nets were beginning to break, and two boats full were beginning to sink.

“They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  (Luke 5:7-8).

 Simon Peter saw the good things, the abundance of Jesus, and was willing to turn God away because of his sinfulness, his unworthiness.  Jesus’ response was maybe unexpected?  Undeserved?

The grace that comes to us from God, even if we are not worthy, is not to be overlooked. There is forgiveness and it is for each and every one of us.

 During Lent, we attempt each year to come to terms with this. Yes, we need to face ourselves and the ways in which we fall short, but we don’t remain living there, or dying there.  We hear the rest of the story before knowing that our own death moves are overturned by Jesus’ life moves.

 Like the one Jesus tells as he gathers disciples.

Jesus’ unexpected, and perhaps undeserving response is this, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” (Luke 5:10)

So overwhelming was God’s unexpected grace for them, that when they brought the biggest catch they could ever imagine to shore, they left everything and followed Jesus!

May we all be so overwhelmed with God’s love and grace for us that we, too, drop the biggest earthly catch in our lives, leave every thing behind us, and follow Jesus.

Thanks be to God.

pastor Kathy

 Do I really have enough?

 The struggle continues. Even faithful responsible people who trust God’s abundance face temptation. It may be to plan for contingencies (professional, financial, medical). What if….? It may be to have the latest technology. What’s new? It may be to accumulate more stuff as a form of security. How much is enough?

In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus talks of a rich man who owned lands that produced abundantly. The land was so bountiful his barns were full. In order to store his earthly abundance, the man tore down his barns and built bigger ones—to have more security. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves, but are not rich toward God.”

Sometimes it seems the more we have, the more insecure we are. How big are your barns? Haw many barns do you have? What are you storing up? Look at all the storage facilities that have appeared in the last decade. What is so important for people to store? Seldom is it food or water. Most often it is possessions. And yet, no one will take these possessions with them into the next life.

Do we collect and store for fear someone could take them away? In most neighborhoods this in not an issue. What is it that we cannot afford to lose? God encourages us to be prepared for what is demanded of us, and storing all the material goods one can buy will not help. God encourages us to live a faithful and responsible life so that we may live the life that really is life—a life with God.

 Prayer: O God of abundance, wean me from my quest to find security in earthly things that can be accumulated and only perish. Teach me that true security comes through deep faith in your Word and your will. Bring me to an everlasting trust in you.  Amen

“THE YEAR of the LORD’S FAVOR”Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ as we begin a new decade!  Happy 2010 to you all!!Back at the beginning of Advent, we started a new year in the church. It is now the Year of St. Luke, the Great physician. Jesus came to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and release the captives from their oppressors. Throughout the year, we will be following this Evangelist’s view of Scripture. However, John does take the front seat for Gospel texts a few times every year, according to the Lectionary (where our Sunday morning texts come from).Luke has Jesus giving his inaugural speech to us from chapter 4: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19  Jesus quotes the Prophet Isaiah, from the 61^st chapter, as Isaiah tells the people that it is the year of the Lord’s favor. I like the sound of this. It is the year of the Lord’s favor! This inaugural speech shapes the entire ministry according to St. Luke.The poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed, all find favor in the Lord. Jesus comes with Good News for the poor, proclamations of freedom to prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind, and release to the oppressed. We all are a part of God’s plan. How is it that we live within God’s plan for us and carry out this mission to those who need it most? Do we need to first have our own sight restored? Do we need to hear the Good News that comes to our poorness of Spirit? Are we being held prisoner by something within ourselves that holds us back from fully living out God’s grace to us in our lives? If so, are we ready to hear and act upon the proclamation of freedom that Jesus brings to us, as he walks through an angry crowd that is ready to throw him over the cliff? Is someone else oppressing us? If so, Jesus comes to release you.As we are working through answering these questions in our lives, we can live in community with one another at the same time. Jesus doesn’t come to save those who don’t need it. Jesus comes to the blind, and the poor, and the prisoners and to the oppressed. My guess is that in some way, each of us falls into at least one of these categories. Jesus comes for each and every one of us so that we can be restored to community with one another. The Good News is that we all are beloved by God, and part of God’s plan for the world. We are already good enough for the path that God has us on. The Good News is that it is the Year of the Lord’s favor, and salvation is at hand. God’s favor is in store for us. It is the year of the Lord’s favor.Thanks be to God!!! Amen.

Pastor Kathy