February 14, 2024
Lenten Musings
Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.
To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com
“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
These are the words said as ashes are either sprinkled on your head or smeared on your forehead in the shape of a cross.
The ritual is strange.
It’s uncomfortable.
It’s blunt.
And it’s supposed to be all these things.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a day set aside for many Christians to remember their mortality.
We’re unsure of the day’s origin, yet we can read in the Old Testament when people connected penitence, fasting, and prayer with ashes…
… Ashes remind us of our own dusty origin and ending.
To believe that life as we know it ends when our earthly bodies expire is to reckon with the fact that at any moment, the purpose of our existence could extinguish faster than a thumb and forefinger to candlewick.
To believe that our skin and bones are arks of God’s covenant, however—that our bodies do nothing less than house the very divine-breathed souls that make up our personhood–is to believe life must matter.
A reason bigger than ourselves must exist for breathing in and out, at this particular moment and in this particular place on earth.
When we choose to believe in a maker who has woven our tendons into legs and cartilage into nostrils, we’re also choosing to believe that we don’t determine our own value.
We’re not required to define our worth, our purpose for being, or even our humanity.
We are, thankfully, allowed to simply trust that God has a reason for our existence…
Ashes remind us also of growth.
A wise gardener collects the heap of ashes in her fireplace for her compost bin, adding nutrients for a more fruitful, nutritious harvest in the summer garden. Blackened cinder will decompose to make grasses greener, berries juicier, peppers spicier.
The ashes smudged on our foreheads speak of our own future harvest, when we choose to abide in Christ like fruit on a well-pruned vine.
God turns our compost heap into fertilizer to yield more than we could possibly imagine.
Remember you are dust; remember you will one day return to dust; and remember that in between, life’s daily ashes become compost yielding rich fruit when we allow Christ to prune us.
Trust in this hope.
Coldest Night of the Year
A message from the Team Grace leads:
Hello church family!
The Coldest Night of the Year event is fast approaching.
We walk on February 24th in support of the Samaritan Center (Elgin Street Mission).
Team Grace United Church is growing!
Please consider sponsoring one of our walkers.
They are Marilyn Boileau, Sheryl Hansen, George Young, Michelle Carlyle, Heather Douglas, and Rita OLink.
Every little bit helps a worthy cause.
Please visit https://cnoy.org/donate and find our team and help us out.
Lenten Mini Retreat
The season of Lent is upon us: a time to retreat and reflect more deeply on our faith journey.
To that end, an invitation to gather at Grace on February 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for our Lenten Mini Retreat.
Our time together will afford opportunities for both conversation and contemplation on the theme of the cost of discipleship. Please plan to attend!
Right Around the Corner!
Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.
A small team is needed to plan the event.
If you could lend some time and energy to that effort, please see Sarah or Leona to volunteer.
Let’s pull together to make this FUN-raiser fantastic!
Membership
Rev. Erin will be offering an Adult Membership Preparation Program in March for those of our faith family who would like to become full members of Grace United and the United Church of Canada.
For more information, and to express your interest, please speak to Rev. Erin
Small Things Count!
The donations are flowing in for Small Things Cat Shelter!
Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to this “MEOW-velous” cause.
We will continue collecting throughout the month of February, so keep on bringing in:
Food – dry or wet, any kind other than “Meow Mix”
Litter – any type
Treats – any type, but Temptations are the best.
Toys – any type
Old Towel
Cat Beds
Monetary Donations
What’s Your Favorite? …
… RECIPE, that is!
We all have one:
“Grandma’s Chicken Soup”
“Aunt Mabel’s Meat Loaf”
Those tried and true dishes that delight our taste buds and remind us of our culture and heritage.
Debbie Shuttlesworth would love to get her hands on those cherished recipes for our Grace United Cookbook.
She is really hoping to receive at least ONE submission from each family.
The timeline for publication also has been extended to September, with hopes of an “unveiling” at our Christmas Luncheon 😊
Debbie would be grateful to receive your contributions via email at: harleychyk.ds@gmail.com
From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team
Our FunScrip Program is an on-going fundraising program that runs at Grace.
We all seem to purchase gift cards, and this program lets the church benefit from earning a percentage from each gift card purchased.
Please feel free to email Laurie at laubertin86@gmail.com or call her cell at 705-618-3256 if you need assistance or would like her to order for you.
This month’s specials are as follows:
Banana Republic: 9%
Fresh Co: 5%
Chocolate Ravoris: 9%
Foodland: 5%
GAP: 9%
IGA: 5%
Old Navy: 9%
Rachelle Bery: 5%
Safeway: 5%
Sobeys: 5%
Thrifty Foods: 5%
From Our Property and Finance Team
More than ever, your financial support is needed in order for our church and its ministry to survive and thrive.
You are invited to give as you are able by:
*Signing up for Preauthorized Payments – tax deductible receipt
*E-transfers to Laurie Aubertin (our Treasurer) – tax deductible receipt
*Having a box of envelopes with an assigned envelope number to put on the offering plate on Sundays – tax deductible receipt
*Our online payment option through Canada Helps (you can find the link on our Website or Facebook page) – tax deductible receipt
*Putting loose money on the offering plate on Sunday
If you would like a box of envelopes with an assigned number, please speak with Linda Arseneau, linda_arseneau@hotmail.com, the ushers, or simply drop a note on the offering plate requesting envelopes.
This Week’s Lectionary Lessons
Genesis 9:8–17
The covenant between God and Noah.
Psalm 25:1–10
Lead me in your truth, O God.
1 Peter 3:18–22
Baptism now saves you.
Mark 1:9–15
The baptism, temptation, and mission of Jesus.
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