Dear Caldwell,
As a kid, did you ever pack a set of activities to take on a long car ride? I have memories of sitting in a spacious back seat in our family’s ’68 Chevy Impala and passing time playing games, reading, drawing and other ways to make the ride go a little quicker.
That’s kind of where we are these days on our shared Lenten journey.
On the one hand, Lent calls us to pay particular attention to our spiritual life on the way to Holy Week and Easter. That may be “taking up” a new habit, like a new form of prayer, reading a devotion or practicing stillness. Or it may be “putting down” something that interferes with our attention to the Lord, our spiritual health and our call to serve our neighbor.
Over the last few Sundays, many of you have shared what your doing to stay on the path by writing down your Lenten practices on note cards. They are like bricks forming a new path to the cross, as advised in our Lenten devotion by Teri Ott. It’s so life-giving to see how you are making time for God, for church and for your faith in such deliberate ways. Thanks to those who have shared. If you haven’t, the invitation to jot something down on the cards in the pews remains.
to Holy Week and Easter this Lenten Season?
As with those long car rides we knew as kids, there are plenty of other things we can do along the way. So consider this list your “activity bag” for your Lenten trip as a complement to your individual spiritual practices.
- This Thursday, 7 p.m. online: At the recent White Privilege Conference, Resmaa Menakem, the author of My Grandmother’s Hands, spoke powerfully and very directly about how we all hold trauma in our bodies related to the subject and the experience of race in America. A trained social worker and therapist, he challenges us to understand the need to identify and address that trauma on individual and societal levels. Click here Thursday at 7 pm to watch that talk. LANGUAGE WARNING: He punctuates his points with some cuss words. We will find a time soon to debrief our thoughts and reactions to his ideas.
- Sunday, after worship: This Sunday, stick around after worship to hear about how one church went solar, saving money and saving the earth. Caldwell is thinking hard about how that works. Come to the Hall, grab a snack and learn about what’s involved. You can watch online by clicking here.
- Sunday, April 3 after worship: We want to hear from as many members and friends as possible about your hopes, dreams, questions and concerns, if any, about our plan to house 21 people on campus as we move toward converting the Price Building into studio apartments for those with low incomes. On this day, we will break up into small groups to get an update on the project and gather everyone’s ideas about how we can take part in preparing for and welcoming our neighbors-to-be. These meetings will be facilitated by Caldwell’s Thriving Congregations team, which is being trained in how to use the principles of community organizing to ensure all voices are heard and power is distributed.
- Health Care Justice Gathering, Thursday, March 31: Caldwell will host this group of advocates in the hall. Enjoy a light dinner at 5:30 pm, and the latest update at 6:30 pm on the state of health and healthcare and why Medicare for All is more relevant than ever. There’s been a lot going on during the pandemic and behind the scenes. Bring a friend! Please RSVP to denisefinck@hotmail.com
As always, you direct your passion and faith in multiple directions. I hope this “activity bag” of coming events is a great way for us to gather as community and think about what our faith looks like in action. In the meantime, we can also tend to our individual Lenten spiritual journeys as we make a new path that navigates these unusual days.
In Christ, John