March 2020
What We Did in February
Pastor's Note
This month we begin the season of Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter when we prepare ourselves for drawing closer to God. There are many ways to do that work of preparation - some people give up or fast from something that they like (for instance sweets) or something that eats up a lot of time (for instance binge watching TV shows). Some people take on new practices that increase personal devotion (for instance reading through parts of the Bible) or that connect missionally with our neighbors (for instance volunteering at a shelter).
Such practices go back to some of the earliest Christian communities who saw these 40 days as a yearly opportunity to sacrifice, reset, and refresh their spiritual lives. I hope that you take the opportunity to join in with your own form of Lent observance this year. What you do matters only to you and there is not one specific thing you must give up or take on. You can do one thing or several things. You can do something that only impacts you once a week or something that impacts you every day. The important thing is that whatever you do or refrain from doing helps you to keep God in mind and live more fully in God’s love.
I also hope that whatever you do helps you to see how our personal devotion impacts our public witness for God. What we do to care for our own spirits impacts what we do to care for other people and vice versa. So if you decide to take on a new prayer practice, I hope you begin to observe how that benefits your interactions with the people around you. And if you commit to volunteering with a food pantry or feeding the hungry, I hope that you observe how that work refreshes your soul and helps you to know God better personally.
Finally, don’t worry too much about messing up or missing something. One year I mistakenly decided to give up cookies - a mistake because Cookie Monster lives in my heart right by the Holy Spirit - only to go to a church study the first week of Lent where they had a tray of cookies. I was on my second cookie before I remembered what I had just decided to do! Lent is certainly a time to refocus and sacrifice of ourselves, but ultimately it is a time to know and practice grace - grace that puts love over law, forgiveness over punishment, relationship over regulations. Grace that connects our hearts with our neighbor and our Lord.
Coming Up...
Sunday, March 1 (and every Sunday during Lent)
1:00 p.m. Lent Study
Tuesday, March 3
6:00 p.m. Young Lives
Sunday, March 8
Daylight Saving Time begins - set your clocks one hour ahead before bedtime!
Monday, March 9
7:00 p.m. Finance meeting
Sunday, March 15
4:30 p.m. Meet at Oak Lawn UMC to serve Oak Lawn Community Meal to homeless neighbors
Monday, March 16
1:00 p.m. DoveNotes - help us make Easter greeting cards for our homebound members and those on our prayer list! No crafting skills necessary - we have a job for everyone!
6:00 p.m. Trustees
7:00 p.m. Administrative Council
Monday, March 30
9:00 a.m. District Committee on Ordained Ministry
Lent Study
This lent we will offer a special study specifically focused on one of the core practices of our faith life - prayer. Whether you are an experienced prayer pro or someone who feels like you do not even know what to do with your hands or words when it comes to prayer, I invite you to join us on this 6-week journey. Each week we will learn about a specific method of prayer - both how to do it and what it teaches us about the act of praying itself.
March 1 - The Lord’s Prayer
Where else could we start than with the prayer that Jesus told his disciples was the way they should pray? Interestingly, there are two slightly different versions of this prayer in the Bible and neither is exactly what we pray on Sunday mornings. We will explore the language of this prayer, its history, its meaning, and how it might serve as a model for the other prayers we pray.
March 8 - Ignatian Prayer
St. Ignatius of Loyola (the founder of the Jesuits) pioneered a very creative form of meditative prayer in which the people praying immerse themselves in the imagined world of a biblical scene, allowing it to come to life in their minds and hearts. He believed this approach allowed God to speak to us in a personal, meaningful way. We will learn more about St. Ignatius’s approach to this inventive form of prayer, and then we will practice it with at least one scene from the Bible.
March 15 - Labyrinths
The prayer tool called the labyrinth introduces us to prayer that literally requires us to move our bodies along a path. We will learn about the history of the labyrinth, how to use this tool, and we will practice with finger labyrinths. Later in the week, you are invited to join us on a field trip to Perkins School of Theology to try out their full size, walkable labyrinth!
March 22 - Centering Prayer
Centering prayer is a form of silent meditation. Whether that sounds wonderful or terrifying to you, there is likely benefit in trying it out. The process of centering ourselves, even outside of formal meditation, can help ease anxiety and lead us all back to what is really important in our lives. We will spend some time learning about different methods of meditation, you will have a chance to select a centering phrase that is meaningful to you, and we will have a peaceful time centering ourselves through meditation.
March 29 - Prayer Books
While many of our prayers do not include any preparation or notes, there is a long Christian tradition of using prayer books. These can give us the words to say when we don’t know what to say and guide us through a regular rhythm of prayer. We will learn how to navigate a prayer book, compare different ones, and learn about their history (including how structured daily prayer has been encouraged in Methodism since the origins of our movement).
April 5 - Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is latin for sacred reading, and is a method of prayerfully experiencing scripture. There are a series of steps that we will learn about and then put into practice as we pray with Bible passages about Palm Sunday and Jesus’s passion. Not only will this give you one more tool to benefit your prayer life, but it will also give you an opportunity to reflect even deeper on the stories that provide the foundation of this week leading up to Easter Sunday.
As always, there will be some conversation that builds upon itself through the whole series, but if you can only come to one or a few weeks, you will still get a lot out of each individual lesson. We will meet from 1-2pm in the Harmony Classroom, upstairs.
Crumble, Cookie, Crumble!
Linden Grove Theatre Co. has another exciting performance in store for us during from March 5-8! You are invited to attend Crumble, Cookie, Crumble! at the Margo Jones Theatre in Fair Park, 1121 First Ave, Dallas, TX 75210.
When Nana Yum Yum's cookies turn disgusting, who will save Grit City from its bleak, cookie-less future? Why, Detective Brisk Manly will! Just pour him a tall glass of milk, and he'll tell you all about it...
Visit lindengrovetheatreco.com/store to purchase tickets.
Modern Stations of the Cross
Like last year, we will again set up Modern Stations of the Cross as a unique opportunity for prayer and reflection during the season of Lent. Traditionally, the meditative tool called “stations of the cross” follows the steps Jesus took from being condemned to death to being buried in the tomb. It is well worth reflecting on the actual path Jesus took millennia ago, but we also know that God hurts when we hurt now. We believe that the suffering of Christ encompasses the suffering of our world even now.
So, our stations will reflect the suffering we have seen around our world this past year. You are invited to take time on a Sunday or during the week when the church is open to use this meditation tool and walk through the stations at your own pace. Our stations will be set up in our hallway leading to the sanctuary and there will be more instructions at the first station. If you are unable to be with us physically, we will post a link to a digital version of all the stations that you can use and share.
Tackling Tough Questions
On March 29th, we will have our next round of Tackling Tough Questions during worship. This is an opportunity that comes around (almost) every 5th Sunday, where Patrick will “tackle” whatever questions are on your mind about faith, the Bible, the church, etc. This time, we will have just finished a series on prayer, so if you have any prayer specific questions, those are more likely to be selected. Whether it is prayer related or not, please email any and all questions to littlefield.patrick@gmail.com or write them down and leave them in an offering plate during worship or in the church office inbox.
Reconciling Potluck!
We will be hosting all the other churches and Sunday school classes who are a part of the Reconciling Ministries Network for a potluck on Saturday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. All are invited to meet some of our fellow United Methodists in the area and to hear from Rev. Rachel Baughman, a delegate to General Conference this year. She will share some info about the delegation’s work and her own travels around the world to meet with United Methodists in other countries to advocate for changes to the denomination’s current language around LGBTQ inclusion and affirmation. We could use several greeters to welcome our guests, and if you would like to help please email the church office or let Patrick know in person.
Happy Birthday to...
Gail Baldwin 3/5
Jordan (Larroca) Frank 3/5
Jo Ann Biggs 3/19
Si Henson 3/22
Josh Neuroth 3/28
Jennifer McLaughlin 3/29
This Month, We Pray for...
Gail Baldwin; Marilyn Bourdene; Lynn Bruce; Carole Bryde; Tammy Busby; Linda Castor; Shirley Dunn; Wilma Elrod; Mary Ann Finley; Chris Gann; Bonnie Glanville; Leck and Cynthia Heflin; Michael Hilley; Kathy LaTour; Harold Logan; Jan Logan; Carolyn Miracle; Marie Miranda; Pat Norvell; Jorge Ortiz; Brandon Owen; Pontis Ministries; Kathy Purvis; Connie Riddell; Elizabeth Robbins; Robin Robbins; Ginny Salinas; Beth Saxton; Jeanne Scroppo; Linda Simmons; Alan Smith; Kelly Smith; Travis Smith; the Stretcher family; Chris Venable; Louise Williams; Amy Young
