Windswept – February 2016
Posted on January 29, 2016 by spiritofjoy No comments
Download — February 2016
Download – February Calendar of Events
O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him. —Psalm 34:8One of God’s greatest gifts are the five senses God has given us to take in and enjoy all that God has made. What joy to see a prairie sunset, hear the melody of a favorite song, touch the hand of someone we love, smell a garden full of blooming flowers, or taste a delicious meal. As I write these words I am just touching a keyboard and seeing a computer screen; but the reminder of how I’ve experienced the world through my senses delights me with memories of sights, sounds, touches, aromas, and flavors.
We’ve been reminded in the past seasons of Christmas and Epiphany that in Jesus Christ the Word became flesh and moved into our neighborhood. That certainly means that God has come close to us. It also means the God who lives “on our block” makes God’s self known in the same way we comprehend the rest of the world—through our five senses.
The church season of Lent begins this month on Ash Wednesday, February 10th. Starting that day, we’re going to explore together in worship how God comes to us in Jesus Christ in ways we can experience through our senses. We will hear God’s Word, but we will also taste the Lord’s Supper, smell burned palm branches, feel streaks of ash on our foreheads, and see God’s people with our masks down for a day.
On Wednesdays that follow we’ll continue to use our senses to travel the Jesus Way through Lent. We’ll experience the touch of Jesus that overcomes death; receive vision-correction from the Savior who makes the blind see; taste the flavor of abundance; hear a Word that penetrates the ears of dead people; and smell the gift of outrageously expensive perfume, poured out on Jesus.
Taste and see that the Lord is good, the writer of Psalm 34 sings. This season of Lent we will also hear, touch, and smell how that is true. I hope you will gather with us we sense together what it means to live the Jesus Way. JE
