“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Have you ever thought much about the 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid for turning in Jesus? Have you ever taken the time to meditate on what it means to say Jesus was crushed for our iniquities? What about the clothes that were stripped from Jesus’ body? Then there are the nails that were held Jesus to cross…have you thought about what it took to hold Jesus there? The cross…the palm branches…the last supper…how much time do we take to think on these pieces of Jesus’ journey and how they bring hope and change to us in our journey towards the cross of Christ.
During Lent this year we will be Upcycling the Journey to the Cross and focusing in our devotional and in the sermons on aspects of Jesus’ journey. The question will be how do the marks of Jesus’ journey speak to us, move us and change us. We too are on a journey every day toward the cross. Are we changed by the journey?
Every year we make attempts to connect each of you through Lent to Jesus’ life and death in new ways. The hope I have as a pastor is for each of us to be challenged and changed in the process. The hope is more commitment to Jesus and therefore more commitment to Bethel and the ministry of Jesus in this place and our community. I always hope that
I will be changed a bit more every year as well. You might be asking yourself, “What is available to me this Lent at Bethel?
Read below:
1. Pick up the NEW devotional: Upcycling the Journey to the Cross!
2. Daily read and think through the devotions (take a little or a lot of time…it’s up to you!)
3. Participate in the Lenten Bible Study, “Seven Words: Listening to Christ from the Cross” by Susan Robb You are welcome to join us by ZOOM on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. OR in-person on Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
4. Worship with us on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m.*
5. Worship with us on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.*
6. Join us for Christ in the Passover on Friday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m.*
7. Join us on Maundy Thursday & Good Friday at 7:00 p.m.*
Our worship will be following along with our devotional so it will be easy to keep up on our themes throughout Lent. Also, remember, you are welcome to be with us in-person OR on FaceBook as we live stream OR later in the day on our YouTube channel, Bethel Lutheran Aurora. Let’s all be changed as we Upcycle the Journey to the Cross together!
In Christ,
Pastor Barb
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