A Church Looks at 40
This Sunday: Jimmy Buffett fans may remember one of his earliest ballads, “A Pirate Looks at 40.” (Whether we were ever pirates or not, some of us have 40 in our rear view mirrors.) This Sunday, we as a church will take a look at why the number 40 appears in scripture 117 times and how sometimes God speaks through numbers just as clearly as through words and actions. We will also celebrate communion.
Pastoral Care Update: Our friend and church Chief Engineer Fred “Scotty” Powers underwent a successful procedure at Mercy Hospital and is doing well, surrounded by family. No visitors, please. We will keep you updated.
Happy weekend. John
Give Up or Take Up?
Dear Caldwell Family:
What a gorgeous day, a sure sign that this unusual winter won’t be with us forever. Tonight, as the Everitt’s reminded us, is our Coffee House and Talent Extravaganza at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall I attended my first last year and loved seeing the range of acts and interests we have in this always-surprising congregation.
Do you give up something for Lent – maybe a favorite food or a bad habit? Or do you take up something – maybe a spiritual discipline or a deepened resolve to be better in a relationship? However we journey through these 40 days, the main idea is to find ways to reflect on the meaning of God’s activity in Christ and its relevance in our lives.
Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Lent and we will consider Christ’s own 40 days in the wilderness, when he was tested by the devil.
See you then – and enjoy your day.
Midweek Musings
Caldwell family:
Item # 1: If you dropped by the church campus about now, you might well get a whiff of something odd and sulfury-smelling. We just burned the Palm fronds from last year’s Palm Sunday service to create the ashes for tomorrow’s Ash Wednesday service. Fred Powers, who happened to be here, stood around a soup pot in the courtyard with Veronica, Leslie and me as we watched the symbols of Easter’s victory be reduced to the reminder of our human frailty. I hope many of you can come to be a part of the service and sit at table with our Elizabeth neighbors for lunch. We’re indebted to the team of lay volunteers who have pulled off the multi-faceted project of preparing to host the Elizabeth Communities of Faith for the series here at Caldwell – Lawrence David Sander, Ruth Curtis, Ellizabeth Hyland and Linda Horton, along with Ann Alford, Jimmy Todd, Chris Elslager and others who have spruced up our buildings and grounds.
Item # 2: Our denomination’s Moderator (top national officer) was the featured guest Monday at the Charlotte Presbytery meeting. Bruce Reyes-Chow, who pastors a church of about 200 in San Francisco, is known for his acuity with all things tech. He blogs, Tweets, Facebooks and more and, in the doing, he has brought a new level of accessibility and transparency to all things Presbyterian. He is a “young 40″ and brings a distinct “lens” (which is how he describes his role) to our denomonation as we look ahead to our future. It may not show, but I even learned a few things about blogging. %-)
Item #3: On Sunday, I failed to report that Jackie Abernathy went home from the hospital last weekend. It’s great to know that she has bounced back to her former self in relatively short order.
Peace be with you, John