Ministry Matters

I came across this from the Ministry Matters website yesterday. Worship elements for some of our readings during Lent, focusing on the Gospel of John.

“Hope can be in short supply when you are wandering in the desert, not knowing if or when you will arrive at your destination; when you are a woman shunned by your community; when your community is not listening to God’s voice. But hope takes many forms—water in the desert, living water at a well, encountering a person who changes your life, knowing a God who has created everything and loves all that has been created.”

March in Wisconsin can feel a bit like a desert. We’re usually glad for the snow to melt, but then we’re faced with what seems like an excess of brown and gray. It’s appropriate for the time of year in the Christian calendar. The forty days of Lent mirror the forty days of Jesus in the wilderness and the forty years of wandering in the wilderness by the Israelites. These represent periods of testing, purification, and preparation. Looking at the bare trees and the brown grass day after day spurs us look forward to the arrival of Easter with hope!

See you in church!