From the Pastor's Desk

Not long ago I saw the new blockbuster movie, Avatar. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes of amazing special affects (no, I didn’t see it in 3-D...it was plenty enough for me to see it as it was!) lots of action, explosions, etc. But it was also filled with all kinds of religious and spiritual symbolism.

I found it curious that in an increasingly secular world, and in a world where church membership in general is waning in some areas, there would be so much interest in spiritual things, such as evidenced in this movie and other popular movies today (“The Book of ELI” is another). What this tells me is that the spiritual nature in us is always there and always hungry. There is a part of us that wants and needs more than just the tangible, measurable and/or pleasurable things in life.

As we enter February we come to a time of the year when our different worship experiences can speak to our spiritual nature in different ways. The season of Epiphany comes to a conclusion on Transfiguration Sunday, Feb. 14, as we once again lock away our Alleluias until Easter. Then our Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, as we begin our way toward Easter. During the changing of the seasons we get to hear and experience the different dimensions of our Christian faith.

In the spirit of our Jan. 23 "Vibrant Faith Formation" workshop, these extra worship opportunities are additional times our faith can be nurtured.

Watch for the special presentations and unique worship settings as the season of Epiphany comes to a close and as the season of Lent begins. Come worship and be a part of something that can nurture your faith and your spirit, which movies like Avatar can't really feed.

See you in church.

Pastor Jack Diehl