Plymouth UCC Church
  • Welcome!
    • I'm New Here
    • I'm a CSU Student
    • LGBTQ
    • How Do I Join?
    • Staff Writings
  • Worship
    • Join Worship Online
    • Download Bulletins
    • 6pm Service Link
    • Newcomer Card
    • Learn More >
      • What is Worship?
      • Sermons
      • Music Program
      • Dinner Church
  • News & Events
    • Today's Schedule
    • Upcoming Events
    • Calendar & eNews
  • Living Our Faith
    • Faith Statements
    • Staff Reflections
    • Social Justice & Outreach >
      • Grocery Cards
    • Christian Formation Overview >
      • Children
      • Youth
      • Adults >
        • Lenten Blog 2021
        • Plymouth Reads
        • Visiting Scholar
        • Sophia Circle
    • Calling & Caring
    • Labyrinth
  • Connect
    • Community
    • Lay Leadership
    • Gallery
    • Contact Us >
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Text Connection >
        • Fun Text Question
        • Text Responses
        • Wellness Check-In
      • Building Rental
  • Give
    • Online Giving
    • Pledge Card
    • Evergreen Partners
  • Members
    • Forms & Resources >
      • General Forms
      • Calendar Request Form
      • Newsletter Submissions
      • Zoom Resources
      • Kitchen Videos
    • Weddings & Funerals
    • Library
    • Constitution & Policies
    • F1Go
  • Welcome!
    • I'm New Here
    • I'm a CSU Student
    • LGBTQ
    • How Do I Join?
    • Staff Writings
  • Worship
    • Join Worship Online
    • Download Bulletins
    • 6pm Service Link
    • Newcomer Card
    • Learn More >
      • What is Worship?
      • Sermons
      • Music Program
      • Dinner Church
  • News & Events
    • Today's Schedule
    • Upcoming Events
    • Calendar & eNews
  • Living Our Faith
    • Faith Statements
    • Staff Reflections
    • Social Justice & Outreach >
      • Grocery Cards
    • Christian Formation Overview >
      • Children
      • Youth
      • Adults >
        • Lenten Blog 2021
        • Plymouth Reads
        • Visiting Scholar
        • Sophia Circle
    • Calling & Caring
    • Labyrinth
  • Connect
    • Community
    • Lay Leadership
    • Gallery
    • Contact Us >
      • Clergy & Staff
      • Text Connection >
        • Fun Text Question
        • Text Responses
        • Wellness Check-In
      • Building Rental
  • Give
    • Online Giving
    • Pledge Card
    • Evergreen Partners
  • Members
    • Forms & Resources >
      • General Forms
      • Calendar Request Form
      • Newsletter Submissions
      • Zoom Resources
      • Kitchen Videos
    • Weddings & Funerals
    • Library
    • Constitution & Policies
    • F1Go

Lent

3/5/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Dear Plymouth,

I did not grow up with the tradition of Lent. I came to it when I moved into the United Church of Christ in the 1980s. Since then I have learned layers of meaning for the season and traditions of Lent. 
 
Lent – derived from the Old English word meaning “spring season” and the Old German word meaning “lengthening of days.

Lent – a penitential season of 40 days in the Christian liturgical calendar; in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th century church, a time of final examination and catechesis for those wishing to join the faith at the Easter Vigil.

Lent – a time of fasting, study and penitence; also a season to explore new avenues of prayer.

Lent – a faith journey from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday; a time to travel wilderness paths of spiritual reflection; a time to go deeper putting our faith roots down into the soil of God’s love.
 
Lent – a time ....
To pray you open your whole self
To sky, to earth, to sun, to moon
To one whole voice that is you.
And know there is more
That you can’t see, can’t hear;
Can’t know except in moments
Steadily growing, and in languages
That aren’t always sound but other
Circles of motion. ...
From “Eagle Poem” by Joy Harjo
The proverbial Lenten journey is what we make of it each year. It can be a time to add a spiritual discipline to your life in a search for spiritual renewal. It can be a time to abstain from an activity in order to have more time for just Being. It can be a preparation time for the new life of spring, a time to plant seeds literally and metaphorically. A time to till the earth, spread compost and start the garden as a spiritual action. It’s a time for listening in new ways to our souls, to God’s wisdom that lives within us as well as in scripture and tradition. 
 
I invite you to plunge into Lent this year through Plymouth’s worship services, through spiritual growth classes and retreats, through deepening relationships in Christian fellowship. Check out:
  • the upcoming Intergenerational Art Retreat, Going Deeper: Putting Down Soul Roots, Friday and Saturday, March 8-9
  • the Rev. Dr. Mark Lee’s Tuesday evening class, Experimental Theology, March 19-April 23, 
  • our ongoing Sunday morning Christian Formation classes for all ages at 10 a.m.
  • our youth group activities for middle school and high school students
  • the Congregational Life Bingo Night, Friday, 3/15. 
Find more info on all these activities in Plymouth’s Thursday “Overview” email. 
 
Above all this Lent find a way to call your spirit back from aimless wandering. Call your spirit to an intentional journey following Jesus the pioneer and model of our faith in God.
... Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control.
Open the door, then close it behind you.
Take a breath offered by friendly winds. ... Give it back with gratitude. ... 
Call your spirit back. It may be caught in corners and creases of shame, judgment, and human abuse.
You must call in a way that your spirit will want to return.
Speak to it as you would to a beloved child.
Welcome your spirit back from its wandering. ...
From “Calling Your Spirit Back From Wandering the Earth in Human Feet” by Joy Harjo
With you all on the journey,
Jane Anne

Author

The Rev. Jane Anne Ferguson, Associate, Minister, is a writer, storyteller, and contributor to Feasting on the Word, a popular biblical commentary. She is also the writer of sermon-stories.com, a lectionary-based story-commentary series. Learn more about Jane Ann here. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2016

    Categories

    All
    2020
    Abundance
    Adult Formation
    Advent
    Alli Stubbs
    Alternative Giving Fair
    Animals
    Apocalypse
    Art
    Ash Wednesday
    Bach
    Bees
    Being Church
    Being The Body Of Christ
    Being The Church
    Beng Alive
    Better Angels
    Birthday
    Black Lives Matter
    Blessings
    Boulder
    Breath
    Calling & Caring
    Celtic Christianity
    Change
    Children
    Choices
    Choir
    Christian Formation
    Christmas Blues
    Church
    Church Governance
    Coffee
    Compassion Camp
    Consecration Sunday
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    COVID Update
    Creed
    CSU
    DACA
    Darkness & Light
    Database
    Discipleship
    Easter
    Education For All
    Egg Hunt
    Election
    Farewell
    Fences & Bridges
    Finance
    Flexibility
    Flora Cash
    Fort Collins
    Forum
    Forum Series
    Friends & Family Sunday
    Gender
    Generosity
    Getting Settled
    Giving
    Goals
    Go Deeper
    Godspell
    Goodbye
    Gratitude
    Guest Author
    Gun Violence
    Habitat For Humanity
    Halloween
    Healthy Congregations
    Hobbies
    Holy Week
    Hope
    Housing
    Impermanence
    Inauguration
    Independence Day
    Interruptions
    Interterm
    Jazz
    John Philip Newell
    Joseph
    Joy
    Jubilee Sunday
    Known & Unknown
    Labyrinth
    La Foret
    Laura Nelson
    Lent
    Letting Go
    LGBTQ
    Listening
    Longest Night
    Magi
    Mark Heiskanen
    Masterpiece Cakeshop V. Colorado Civil Rights Comm.
    Matthew Shepard
    Ministerial Transitions
    Mission Trip
    Music
    Music Program
    Nationalism
    Newness
    New Year
    ONA
    Online Worship
    Ordinary Time
    Organ
    Pandemic
    Parking
    Pastoral Care
    Peace
    Pendemic
    Pentecost
    Pilgrimage
    Plymouth Grounds
    Plymouth Text Connection
    Popular Culture
    Prayer Service
    Psalm 126
    Psalms
    Reformation Sunday
    Releasing
    Rep. Joe Neguse
    Rev. Carla Cain
    Rev. Hal Chorpenning
    Rev. Jake Miles Joseph
    Rev. Jane Anne Ferguson
    Rev. Mandy Hall
    Rev. Mark Lee
    Ring Lake Ranch
    Risk
    Rocky Mountain Conference
    Rooted
    Rosebud Episcopal Mission
    Sabbath
    Sabbatical
    Search Process
    Signage
    Silence
    Singing
    Sleepout
    Solstice
    Soul
    Spiritual Growth
    Spiritual Practices
    Stewardship
    Stewardshp
    Stories
    St. Patrick
    Strategic Planning
    Students
    Suicide Prevention
    Summer
    Taize
    TARDIS
    Teacher Appreciation
    Thanks
    Thanksgiving
    The Church Organ
    The Magnificat
    Threshold
    Thrive
    Top Ten
    Transfiguration
    Transformation
    Tricia Medlock
    Trump
    Truth
    Tulips
    UCC
    Values
    Vespers
    Video Reflection
    Voting
    Waiting
    Weird & Holy
    Wilderness
    Wisdom
    Work
    Worship
    Yendra Tencza
    Youth
    Zoom For 7

    RSS Feed

916 West Prospect Road Fort Collins CO 80526

Worship Times

​STREAMING ONLY at 10 a.m. & 6 p.m. Sundays
Visit plymouthucc.org/streaming for details

Contact Us

970-482-9212

​Members, log into F1Go here.

Subscribe to our eNews