February 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It certainly has been a strange winter so far. As of the time I am writing this article, we had our only real snowstorm in October, and no real snow since. Even the temperatures have been rather mild! I know that things can change quickly on that score, but if the calendar did not tell you otherwise, you might think it was still fall, and not winter at all.

If the weather has given us no clue that this really is the season of winter, there is one definitive way for us to know for sure that it really is winter. The “length of our days,” meaning the amount of daylight each day, has been getting longer and longer. Back on December 21st, the first day of winter, we had only around 8 hours of daylight, and a very long night. By February 1st, the amount of daylight has already increased to 9 hours. By February 29th it will be almost 11 hours! You know that this will only get better and better until the first day of summer.

This annual winter and spring “lengthening of the days” is where the name for the season of “LENT” comes from. From an Old English word that means “lengthen.” Lent may start early or late, but it always begins in the winter and moves into the spring. With Lent comes those increased hours of daylight which we love, and usually a warming of the temperatures as well.

For the Christian, Lent has a similar purpose. It is meant in the church to be a time of spiritual dedication that can help to “lengthen” our faith. Lent at St. John’s Lutheran Church always takes a similar pattern each year. We begin with our observance of Ash Wednesday, this year on February 22nd. Then on the five Wednesdays of Lent we have special opportunities for prayer. We worship at 12 Noon in the All Saints’ Chapel for a brief spoken Holy Communion Service, and again at 7:30 PM for Evening Prayer.

This year, our Lenten theme is “One in Mission: Five Views from the Pews”. Each Wednesday evening we will have a different member of our church family speak on one aspect of the One Mission that we share as Christians and as a congregation. Each of the five will speak their own words on how they see the work of our church in light of the One Mission given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am not going to reveal the names ahead of time. You will just need to “come and see” and listen too.

Someone once said that “a life well lived is the best sermon of all.” You will not be hearing sermons on these Wednesday evenings, but five brief talks from the heart on how we serve the mission of Our Lord through the life and work of this congregation.

If you have been a part of our Lenten discipline each year, then I know you will be joining us on Wednesdays. If you have never come before, please try it out. It might be fun to listen to the person that has been sitting near you in the pews for years. What might they have to say? Perhaps the experience will “lengthen your faith” and bring you closer to God.

Come and see. Come and listen. Come and pray.


In Christ,

Pastor Rustico