Towson United Methodist Church

waiting for snow

2010-02-05T09:37:00.002-05:00

I am in my office on Friday morning, waiting for the snow. Normally, I would be home on Friday, vacuuming or something. Today, I came to the office so that I would be near to pick up the girls early from school. All the talk has been about the snow over the past few days; events have been cancelled or re-scheduled; there has been a mad scramble to be prepared.

It makes me think of events in our lives that we can't prepare for, sometimes can't even predict. Someone shares news or a diagnosis or asks us a question that changes our future. We can't prepare for that specific event, but we can prepare our hearts and minds and souls. We can keep closely connected with the one who will be there with us in every situation, the one who knows what's coming in our lives and will be our foundation always: God.

Let me encourage us all to spend time with God in prayer and Scripture reading, so that we can meet the storms in our lives while standing on the solid rock.

Margery

Grace and Peace,

2010-02-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

The penitential season of Lent begins this month with Ash Wednesday, February 17. This somber day serves to remind us that we live in brokenness and that we are mortal. Our best efforts cannot save us from darkness and death. Lent begins this way. It concludes with Easter Sunday when we celebrate the good news that, while we cannot save ourselves from darkness and death, there is one who can: Jesus Christ. The Lord fills us with life, blessed and eternal. As such, Lent is about penitence, reflection, and meditation leading us to "give up" the old ways and to "take up" the ways of Christ.

In addition to our ongoing spiritual development opportunities February holds two more. A group is going to Israel with Robin and me to walk the places where Jesus walked and to study the scriptures on-site. We will be in Jerusalem as Lent begins. Pray that it will be a powerful spiritual experience for all. Women are also gathering for the annual Women's Retreat and it again looks to be a wonderful few days allowing for growth and development. Pray also for the women on retreat that they may be inspired.

Watch for news of special Lenten programs and worship opportunities over the next weeks as we prepare for Easter Sunday, April 4. Use these days to deepen your relationship with Jesus so that you may more and more know and experience the joy and blessing of our savior.

In this time we want also to be mindful of God's children in Haiti. Already among the poorest of the poor these persons now have years of recovery before them following the devastating earthquake. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) had personnel on the ground almost immediately and they are coordinating our denominational relief efforts. At Towson, we are providing financial assistance and gathering requested supplies. Discussions are under way about sending a team of volunteers for one of our VIM trips once they are allowed. Presently, no teams are being accepted. March is the earliest anticipated date for church teams to start. Teams will be needed for a long time. We are a leading mission-oriented church in our Conference. We will lead in this effort as well.

This is such a wonderful church. It is a place to worship and pray, to grow in faith, and to use our God-given gifts for the benefit of others. Thank you for what you do to make our body strong.

Rev. Dr. David Cooney
Senior Pastor

Dear Ones,

2010-02-03T13:29:00.000-05:00

This may not come as a news flash to everyone, but I'm a bit surprised everytime I look at a calendar and realize that Ash Wednesday is only two weeks away! I know that many have a certain letdown feeling after the hustle and bustle of Advent and Christmas, with the various and numerous celebrations, both religious and secular that come with those seasons.

Perhaps my favorite verse from the Christmas narrative is Luke 2:19, "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart." Frankly, I look forward to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, for this reason: it gives me time to slow the pace of my life, to take more time to treasure the words found in the scriptures, and to ponder in my heart and mind what the Incarnation of Christ means for my life and for the transformation of the world.

The season of Lent becomes that time each year when I can be most reflective about my life as a disciple. According to Laurence Stookey, author of Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church, "Forty Days [of Lent] are

a time for probing consideration of our human condition, inlcuding sin and its deadly consequences for both individuals and society, and
a time for an equally intense consideration of the new possibilities offered to us in Jesus Christ and their implications for practical living" (page 80).

As Lent readily approaches, I encourage all of us to discover ways that we might carve out time in our daily routines to slow our pace, to spend additional time in prayer and meditation on our holy scriptures and to consider what life in Jesus Christ means for us and for the world.

Your sister and servant in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Mary Jo Sims
Associate Pastor