20 18
FEBRUARY
FIR ST BA PTIST CHURCH / JEF F ERSON CITY, MO
The Christian calendar and the secular calendar don’t march to the same drum beat. While February may mean Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day to most people, Christians will be marking February 14 as Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The six Sundays in Lent lead us toward the Easter celebration, but not before we pause and do some honest soul-searching and spiritual inventory. Lent calls us to a fresh encounter with our sins, our brokenness and our mortality. Only then can the resurrection have its full impact in our lives. Our sermon series during Lent will be a walk through the Book of Lamentations. At first glance, that may seem like a gloomy way to spend our Sundays. But I’m convinced that some of our faith
practices are shallow, a sort of happy-clappy denial of the real pain in our lives. Life is a series of losses. When we try to hold in our tears, they eventually come out, but often in inappropriate ways and at inappropriate times. How many times do we fake it on Sundays, not wanting to let others know about our pain, only to find out the person sitting near us is doing the same thing? Only when we learn to authentically grieve will we be able to authentically celebrate. In other words, half-hearted grief leads to half-hearted joy. Grieving is a part of loving, and eventually, God’s love heals all our sorrow. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “No matter how deep the pit, God’s love goes deeper.” Grace,
Doyle
UPCOMING February 2 Singles Chili Cookoff
February 4 Scout Sunday
February 9-11 CBF College Retreat
February 25
Rod Maples’ 20th Anniversary
February 28 Quarterly Business Meeting, Fellowship Hall / 5:45pm