"The Forgiveness of Sins"

Dear Friends in Christ:

Ash Wednesday begins for us a 40-day Lenten period that takes us to Good Friday’s cross. The cross is the landmark which tells us whether we are on-course in our life-journey or not, and if we need a new direction in our lives.

The assigned Bible reading for Ash Wednesday is from the Old Testament prophet Joel (2:12-13):
“Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.”

The text is a call for us all to repent of our sin, and return to the Lord for forgiveness of our sin. Before we can fully enjoy Easter’s resurrection, we must mourn and weep over our sins!
The prophet Joel says that God is ”abounding in steadfast love” It is true that we all deserve to die for our sins, there is now doubt about that. But even when we are unlovable, God loves us anyway. God always has enough love, mercy, and grace to forgive us!

This wonderful story illustrates the overwhelming amazement of God’s GRACE:
A gentle Christian lady of the Society of Friends (Quakers) lived alone. One night as she entered her bedroom, she found a burglar rifling through her bureau drawers. When she turned on the light, he pointed a gun at her heart. She gently said to him: “Put that thing away. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s guns. Besides, if your need is so great you have to steal, then you must need my things more than I do.” She not only gave him what he was stealing, but shoved money it into his hand, all the while expressing concern for the circumstances he must be in. The next morning she found all her possessions on her front porch, along with a note which read; “Lady, I can face anger and danger and death itself, but I was powerless before your kindness.”

— Pastor David Fetter

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The 6 Weeks of LENT

Ash Wednesday, February 17th—Good Friday, April 2nd

Dear Friends in Christ:

As we move through our church year calendar, we are nearing a season that is like no other. The 40 days of LENT are an invitation for us to once again embark on a spirtual journey with Jesus, and those who were with him during that first Holy Week before he died.

Here at Abiding Love we will again provide additional worship experiences on 6 Wednesdays, at 6:45 p.m. These services will be preceded by a meal in our Activity Center at 5:45 p.m.

The theme for these Wednesday evenings will be “Jerusalem Speaks: Voices in The Shadow of the Cross”. Each week you will hear from two biblical characters who played significant roles in the final days of Jesus Christ’s earthly life. We will be using members of our congregation to present these dramatic messages:

Week #1 — “A servant girl’s narration of Peter’s denial will introduce Peter’s own confession of turning his back on Jesus the night before his crucifixion.”

Week #2 — “Caiaphas the High Priest confesses his intentions to eliminate Jesus while Judas’ narration gives details of his betrayal orchestrated through the religious leaders.”

Week #3 — “Herod Antipas’ narration details the five individual Herods who are spoken of in Scripture and how each affected Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene shares her account of walking
beside Jesus Christ during his earthly life as well as being present to witness his death and resurrection.”

Week #4 — “Pontius Pilate shares the anguish of his political manipulation in sentencing Jesus Christ to death. Barabbas’ narration includes details of his release and his confusion over watching Jesus die in his stead.”

Week #5 — “A Roman soldier, present at the Crucifixion, shares his acknowledgment of Jesus as the Son of God following the events of Good Friday. Malchus, the high priest’s servant, who had his ear cut off by Peter the night of Jesus’ arrest in the Garden, ponders the happenings in Gethsemane.”

Week #6 — “John recalls the prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures, as well as the words of Jesus preparing his disciples for the coming crucifixion and resurrection, and pieces together the meaning of it all. Mary’s heartache and hope are intertwined in the story she shares of her Son — from his birth to his death to his eternal life.”

I hope that you will make this time a priority for you, your family, and friends as we take a deeper, inner look into our relationship with the One who alone has touched our lives forever with God’s grace, mercy, peace, hope, and love— Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior!

— Pastor David Fetter

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