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“Christ Collides” for Lent

The theme of our Lenten worship services at Rock Run this year has been “Christ Collides.” In the
materials that we are using to help plan these Lenten services it says that each week’s services “offer a glimpse into how the content of his (Jesus’) teachings collides with us and our world.” Over the season of Lent, we will see how Christ collides with our biases, our priorities, our judgments, our selfishness, our blinders, our expectations, and with death.

How has this theme felt to you? Collisions can be jarring. They can cause things to break apart. Collisions require some kind of change. Collisions can be destructive. So the theme of “Christ Collides” can be a challenging and uncomfortable one.

It is true that when Christ collides with us and our world, a change is required. But Christ brings redemptive change, not destructive change.

When we decide to follow Jesus, it does require for us to change the way we live our lives. This change is an ongoing process as we seek to align our lives with God’s calling upon us made known through Jesus. Lent is a time when we can reevaluate how we are living our lives and what changes God may be calling us to make.

Anna Kragt has been leading the children’s times during Lent. On the communion table at the front of the sanctuary she has been putting symbols from each children’s story about how Christ collides with our lives. At the center of this visual representation is a cross. The Lenten materials say, “The cross reminds us both of the many ways that Christ collides with our lives and of Christ’s transforming power.”

We will continue to tell the story of Christ’s colliding as we enter into Holy Week and celebrate Easter. A much-loved Church of the Brethren tradition is Love Feast, which we will celebrate at Rock Run on Maundy Thursday. All are welcome to come and participate in the traditional Love Feast meal followed by feetwashing and participating in a communion service. We will meet in the Rock Run sanctuary at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 17^th to celebrate Love Feast together once again.

On Easter Sunday morning, activities at Rock Run start at 8:00 am with a Sonrise service. This is followed by breakfast at 8:30, an Easter egg hunt for the children at 9:00, Sunday school at 9:30 where there will be things going on for all ages, and then the Easter worship service which begins at our normal 10:30 worship time. Be sure to invite your friends and family to this full morning of activities as we celebrate again the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning!

May our services during Lent with the theme of “Christ Collides” help us to reflect on what changes we are called to as we follow Jesus throughout our lives. And may the changes that we make to be faithful to God’s calling in our lives indeed bring transformation to us individually and as a congregation as we continue through the season of Lent and as we celebrate Easter together in the coming month.

Pastor John

http://www.nidcob.org/

http://www.brethren.org/