Lent Message Series: TWO YEARS LATER: FAITH, FASTING, FEASTING In The MIDST Of FEAR
Message
Lent 2: Fast on Isolation, Feast on Community
Ps 27, 91
The past 4 weeks, my messages have been long and packed to the gills with cultural and historical information and various scripture passages from the writings of Paul. I promised over the next 3 weeks, as we reflect together three message themes, given at the beginning of COVID shutdowns in 2020. It’s been fascinating to me to look back and see what early themes developed out of the shutdown. And surprise, surprise… God’s Word is timeless!
We will take a brief reprieve from our Paul and the Roman World series, for three weeks of looking back in order to look forward. Then we will return to Paul and the Roman World – Engaging the Gospel and Culture for a 4 week wrapup through Easter Sunday.
Over the next three weeks, we will look at three message themes spoken in our first three weeks of online worship in 2020: Fear and Faith, God’s Word Arrives Right on Time, and Entering into the Suffering of Others. So where is your heart two years later? Deeper fear or faith?
So where is your heart two years later? Deeper fear or faith?
More engaged in God’s word or less? Have you engaged people in a relationship of significance, entered into the suffering of others? Or have you become more isolated and cut off from the community?
As we focus this week on faith and fear and its relationship to the Lent season, how is your faith? Is it strong or is it shaky? How about your fear? Is it crippling, gnawing at the edge of your mind, or is it far from you? And how could the themes of feasting and fasting (Lent season language) help move you from fear to faith? I’m gonna propose Sunday that we fast from isolation, and feast on community engagement in this next season that God has given us.
We have a Churchwide fellowship meal party planned for after the worship service on March 20th.
See you soon – for Sunday, take another look at Psalm 27. It rocks in terms of faith.
Pastor Mark