Presbyterian ‘Connection’ - Amazon S3 · Presbyterian ‘Connection’ March 2019 Ash Wednesday...

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1 Presbyterian ‘Connection’ March 2019 Ash Wednesday and Lent The Christian year is marked by a rhythm and sequence of special days and seasons centering on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The major seasons include Advent, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter. Following these major seasons and days, the season of Pentecost focuses on the gift of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing presence and work of Jesus Christ in the church. Several periods of the year, called Ordinary Time, also provide reflection on the teachings of Jesus Christ, God’s mighty acts throughout history, and our life of faith and discipleship. Many of these major seasons of the liturgical year include significant days related to the season. Christmas Eve, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter morning, and the Day of Pentecost are perhaps the most well known. Other days include such occasions as the Baptism of Jesus, the Ascension of Jesus, or Christ the King (Reign of Christ) Sunday. Ash Wednesday is another of those significant liturgical days in the church year. Ash Wednesday as experienced today initiates the season of Lent. The season of Lent has origins in the early centuries of the church. By the time the Council of Nicea met in 325 CE, Lent was observed as a period of forty days (not including Sundays) immediately preceding Easter. The forty-day period recalled Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness following his baptism. Lent was a time of repentance, spiritual discipline, and preparation for baptism at Easter. Several centuries later, when the practice of Easter baptism was no longer normative in the church, Lent became less focused on preparation for baptism and widely observed for its focus on repentance, spiritual discipline, and preparation for the intensity of the Holy Week and Easter journey. During the Middle Ages, Ash Wednesday became permanently attached to the season of Lent in the liturgical life and practice of the Church. Themes and Scripture Ash Wednesday is so named because of the liturgical act of imposing ashes on the forehead. The symbolism of ashes has a long history in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the early Christian literature. In the Bible, ashes are a common sign of mourning. Ashes reflect penanceoften in connection to wearing sack cloth. Ashes are also recognition of mortality. Mortality In the second creation story of Genesis (Gen. 2:4b25), God forms a human, Adam, from dust and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life. From Adam, God makes woman, Eve (Gen. 2:22). Later in the Eden story, Adam and Eve are reminded of their mortality by God, who says, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19b). Con’t on next pg.

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Page 1: Presbyterian ‘Connection’ - Amazon S3 · Presbyterian ‘Connection’ March 2019 Ash Wednesday and Lent The Christian year is marked by a rhythm and sequence of special days

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Presbyterian ‘Connection’ March 2019

Ash Wednesday and Lent

The Christian year is marked by a rhythm and sequence of special days and seasons centering on

the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The major seasons include Advent, Epiphany,

Lent, and Easter. Following these major seasons and days, the season of Pentecost focuses on the

gift of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing presence and work of Jesus Christ in the church. Several

periods of the year, called Ordinary Time, also provide reflection on the teachings of Jesus

Christ, God’s mighty acts throughout history, and our life of faith and discipleship. Many of these

major seasons of the liturgical year include significant days related to the season. Christmas Eve,

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter morning, and the Day of Pentecost are perhaps the most

well known. Other days include such occasions as the Baptism of Jesus, the Ascension of Jesus,

or Christ the King (Reign of Christ) Sunday. Ash Wednesday is another of those significant

liturgical days in the church year. Ash Wednesday as experienced today initiates the season of

Lent. The season of Lent has origins in the early centuries of the church. By the time the Council

of Nicea met in 325 CE, Lent was observed as a period of forty days (not including Sundays)

immediately preceding Easter. The forty-day period recalled Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness

following his baptism. Lent was a time of repentance, spiritual discipline, and preparation for

baptism at Easter. Several centuries later, when the practice of Easter baptism was no longer

normative in the church, Lent became less focused on preparation for baptism and widely

observed for its focus on repentance, spiritual discipline, and preparation for the intensity of the

Holy Week and Easter journey. During the Middle Ages, Ash Wednesday became permanently

attached to the season of Lent in the liturgical life and practice of the Church.

Themes and Scripture Ash Wednesday is so named because of the liturgical act of imposing

ashes on the forehead. The symbolism of ashes has a long history in the Hebrew Scriptures and

in the early Christian literature. In the Bible, ashes are a common sign of mourning. Ashes reflect

penance—often in connection to wearing sack cloth. Ashes are also recognition of mortality.

Mortality In the second creation story of Genesis (Gen. 2:4b–25), God forms a human, Adam,

from dust and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life. From Adam, God makes woman, Eve

(Gen. 2:22). Later in the Eden story, Adam and Eve are reminded of their mortality by God, who

says, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19b).

Con’t on next pg.

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Con’t from previous pg.

Summary Ash Wednesday and Lent serve as invitation and journey. Ash Wednesday invites us into

reflection on our relationship with God. The themes of mortality and penance are powerful

reminders that in life and in death we belong to God. Receiving the imposition of ashes in the

shape of a cross on our foreheads reminds us, in the midst of our hectic, scattered, and anxious

lives, that God holds us in love now and forever. Lent is a season, then, in which we journey deeper

in relationship to our loving God. Lent is a season in which disciplined practices help us let go of

behaviors and attitudes that hinder our commitment to God in Jesus Christ while also encouraging

us to take on practices and postures that deepen our commitment as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Reflection on mortality, engaging in penance, and taking on intentional disciplines are not limited to

Ash Wednesday and Lent. Their regular occurrence as part of the rhythm of the liturgical is an

annual opportunity to reset, refocus, and recommit to our relationship with God through Jesus

Christ. May this Ash Wednesday and Lent be for you a holy season in which you journey even more

deeply into God’s love.

Endnote 1. Theology and Ministry Unit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Book of Common Worship (Louisville, KY:

Westminster John Knox Press, 1993), 222.

Michael Waschevski serves as Associate Pastor of Programming and Pastoral Care at First Presbyterian Church of

Fort Worth, Texas and is an adjunct professor at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas.

Copyright © 2015 www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com. Permission given to the purchaser to copy this page for use in

class.

MARCH HAPPENINGS

- MARCH 1st - 2nd - PRESBYTERY MEETING IN CLARKESVILLE, AR.

- MARCH 6th - ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE WITH COMMUNION - 4:30 P.M.

- MARCH 10th THROUGH APRIL 14th - ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

- MARCH 12 - PW&M MEETING AT 9:30 A.M. IN MEMORIAL HALL

- MARCH 31st - 5th SUNDAY SING AT THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BULL

SHOALS. OPEN TO ALL CHURCHES AND GUESTS IN OUR AREA.

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Our Church Face Book page

https://www.facebook.com/presbyterian.shoals

Church phone # - 870-445-4622

Our church email address

[email protected]

Connection Online

If you would like to read the “Connection” newsletter

online, go to our website;

http://www.presbyterianchurchofbullshoals.com

Click on the ‘Info Center’ tab at the top, then on the

drop-down menu, click on “Presbyterian Connection”,

then choose the month of the newsletter you would

like to read. The most recent newsletter will be at the

top.

Coffee & Fellowship

Be sure to drop in for coffee, maybe a

Danish or cookies and wonderful fellowship

on Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in

Memorial Hall!

January Income - $

January Expenses - $

FIGURES NOT AVAILABLE YET

THURSDAYS, FROM 11:00 A.M. TO NOON IN

MEMORIAL HALL. MEN & WOMEN WELCOME.

CHURCH CHUCKLES

After the dedication of his baby brother in church, a four-year-

old boy sobbed all the way home in the backseat of the car. His

mom and dad asked him three times what was wrong, getting no

reply, only more sobbing.

Finally, the boy replied: The preacher said he wanted us to be

brought up in a Christian home, but I wanted to stay with you

guys!"

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WORSHIP IN MARCH

MARCH 3rd

2 Corinthians 3:12- 4:2 & Luke 9:28-43

COMMUNION

MARCH 10th

Romans 10:8-13 & Luke 4:1-13

POT LUCK FOLLOWS WORSHIP

MARCH 17TH

Philippians 3:17- 4:1 & Luke 13:31-35

BLESSING OF THE FOOD PANTRY

MARCH 24th

1 Corinthians 10:1-13 & Luke 13:1-9

MARCH 31st

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 & Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 MINUTE FOR MISSION

5th Sunday Sing at Presbyterian Church

6:00 p.m.

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CHURCH USHERS/GREETERS COMMUNION SERVERS

March 3 - Dr. Simons Dr. Simons

March 10 - Amy Johnson

March 17 - Sandy Erickson

March 24 - Sandy Erickson

March 31 - Sandy Erickson

PRAYER LIST FOR CONGREGATIONS, PRESBYTERY OF AR.- 2019

March 3 - Church Secretaries Holiday Island Presbyterian

March 10 - Second, Little Rock First, Yellville

March 17 - Directors of Children’s Prgms First, Mena

March 24 - First United, Fayetteville Lyon College, Batesville

March 31 - First, Harrison First, North Little Rock

PLEASE NOTIFY PAT ERLEWINE IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE WHO SHOULD BE ON OUR PRAYER LIST

BIRTHDAYS

March April March 3 - Dick Sass April 19 - Norma Taylor March 10 - Allen Althof April 19 - Garrett Carpenter March 20 - Betty Perrin March 22 - Pat Erlewine March 28 - Betty Aaron March 30 - Jini Sass

ANNIVERSARIES

March 18 - Dr. Roger & Meg Simons No April Anniversaries

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LIBRARY LINES - MARCH 2019

The following fiction books have been donated to the library. They are located in the New

Book book case.

THE LOCKET and THE SUNFLOWER by Richard Paul Evans

A PORT IN THE STORM by Elizabeth Penney

THICKER THAN WATER by DeAnna Julie Dodson

SWEPT AWAY by Ruth Logan Herne

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS by Janice Thompson

SMOKE ON THE WATER by Beth Adams

NO TIME FOR TROUBLE by Olivia Newport

EARTHLY TREASURES by Annalisa Daughety

SHOO, FLY, SHOO! by Amy Lillard

WHEN THERE'S A WILL by Elizabeth Adams

MASON JAR MAYHEM by Tricia Goyer & Cara Putman

Faye Brackett, Librarian

PW&M MEETING RESUMES

PW&M meetings resume this month beginning Tuesday, March 12th at 9:30 a.m.

In Memorial Hall

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MISSION MINUTE

MARCH - 2019

One Great Hour of Sharing Gifts Help Increase Access to Nutritious Food and Farming

In a few hours, something is happening that many of us look forward to — yes, I’m talking about … lunch or brunch. A place to gather for fellowship, laughter, and maybe a few moments of quiet during those first few bites. Food is a good, good thing.

While we give thanks to God for our food, we need to recognize lack of nutritious food is experienced by many of our sisters and brothers at alarming rates. Creating an opportunity for all people to become farmers, gain access to agricultural land, or manage farms are each ways we can secure healthy food systems for all.

Urban communities of color continue to experience diminishing access to fresh and local food. This lack of access to healthy foods, and affordable food prices, also contributes to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related illnesses. According to the USDA, 21 percent of black households and 19 percent of Latinx households face low or very low food security compared to 10 percent of white households.

Leah Penniman is co-founder and co-director of Soul Fire Farm—a partner of the Presbyterian Hunger Program in upstate New York. She says, “Approximately 85 percent of U.S. food is grown by Hispanic and Latinx people, but they only make up three percent of farm management. On the consumer side, people with dark skin are four times more likely to live in a neighborhood without a supermarket or farmer’s market.”

This pattern doesn’t have to continue. Presbyterians, through their gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing, support efforts toward giving everyone access to nutritious food by addressing the root causes of hunger.

Soul Fire Farm raises and sells organically grown vegetables and eggs and then sets prices based on the customers’ ability to pay. It is seeking to increase the number of

people of color who are farm owners and/or managers. More than 1,000 people attend training opportunities at the farm each year.

Census data show that in 1910, African Americans operated 14.5 percent of the 6.4 million farms. The most recent census revealed that African Americans owned just 1.4 percent of the U.S.’ 3.2 million farms. This is no accident. In 1999, in a historical settlement, a judge found that farmers had been systematically denied federal loans solely because they were black.

As people of faith, we can move toward a more just and sustainable food system in which people of color gain access to the land, credit, and training necessary for successful farming. With One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, Presbyterians can nurture a new generation of food growers.

By giving to One Great Hour of Sharing, our gifts help the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to engage in ministries that are moving us outside the walls of our churches to help build a more just world.

We will be participating in the One Great Hour of Sharing offering starting March 10th thru April 14th. The donation envelopes will be located in the pews.

Submitted by the Mission Committee

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Till We Speak Again MARCH 2019

Question: I have noticed from time to time that instead of flowers in the entry area of the

Church, there are objects there; why?

Millie: Why not! No really...good question. Flowers are sure pretty, but for some occasions,

objects in a display, reach us in a different way. I asked Meg the logic behind the current

display. This is what she shared with me.

As we approach Lent and the Easter holiday, these objects were selected carefully. Each

one carries a special symbolic meaning in its own right. They were grouped together to

represent the whole holiday event and hopefully speak to us individually.

The Urn in the back of the grouping represents selflessness. The woman in the Bible could

have used it to wash Jesus’ feet before drying them with her hair. She gave a very expensive

and selfless gift out of love without a second thought of cost or personal status.

The candle is a representation of Jesus’ light of the world. He is the beacon of light and

hope in the darkness bringing us safely back home. We should always put him in the

forefront of our thoughts and lives.

The empty wine glass is a symbol of things yet to come. The last supper, the trial, and the

crucifixion, as Christ was willing to sacrifice himself for us to insure our life everlasting.

The fan is a bit more of a loose symbol, but how do you capture the breath of the Holy Spirit

as it enters our hearts and lives? This act is private and invisible to all except the one

touched and hopefully changed forever.

This display is designed to make you stop, look and think. By doing this, hopefully, it has

touched your heart. I do hope this has answered your question.

Millie

Thought for the Day: Take notice in the beauty of everyday

objects and take nothing for granted; it could all be gone in the blink of

an eye.

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MARCH PUZZLE

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RECIPE FOR MARCH

SWEET POTATO, CARROT & APPLE SOUP

2 TBS OLIVE OIL

1 LB. CARROTS, CHOPPED

1 MEDIUM SWEET POTATO, PEELED, CHOPPED

2 APPLES, PEELED, CHOPPED

1 MEDIUM ONION, CHOPPED

1 CLOVE GARLIC, CHOPPED

2 SPRIGS FRESH THYME

3 CUPS CHICKEN BROTH

SOUR CREAM (OPTIONAL)

HEAT OIL IN LARGE POT OVER MEDIUM HEAT.

ADD NEXT 6 INGREDIENTS; COOK UNTIL VEGETABLES ARE TENDER, 15 MINUTES,

STIRRING OCCASIONALLY.

ADD BROTH; COVER AND COOK UNTIL VEGETABLES ARE VERY SOFT, 20-30

MINUTES.

COOL MIXTURE SLIGHTLY; REMOVE THYME. IN BATCHES, TRANSFER MIXTURE TO

BLENDER; WITH LID FIRMLY PRESSED ON, PUREE.

RETURN PUREE TO POT.

SEASON TO TASTE WITH SALT AND PEPPER, REHEAT.

GARNISH WITH SOUR CREAM, IF DESIRED.

Submitted by Peni Lloyd

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THIS WE BELIEVE FOR MARCH

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

“John 16:33”

“We will be scripture-based to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ

and spiritually led to guide all people to be active doers of the Word”

Approved by Session on November 16, 2007

CHURCH STAFF

Pastor: Rev Cindy Saul, Clerk of Session: Vicky Bair, Church Treasurer: Meg Simons,

Church Secretary & Financial Secretary: Christi Partee

DEACONS

Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Class of 2021

Sandy Erickson Irene Bere Faye Brackett

Pat Erlewine Vacancy Vacancy

ELDERS

Class of 2019 Class of 2020 Class of 2021

Vicky Bair Meg Simons Steve Broskovak

Vacancy Peni Lloyd Vacancy

Presbyterian Church of Bull Shoals

P.O. Box 305

Bull Shoals, AR. 72619