Sunday

Wow! Was soup, song, story, and sacrament great tonight or what?!? How blessed are we that we get to worship twice a week for the five weeks of Lent?

Here's a preview of next week's story (the little kids will probably be reading the book Adeline, since Adeline's Porcupine was a hit):
Why do we do the things we do? Why do we go to church or give money away? Because we're supposed to or because we think God needs it? Do we honestly put on our best clothes for an hour once a week, stand and sit at all the right times, and sing all the appropriate songs for God's sake, or because it'll make us look better to the world around us? We're tired of all the empty rituals and routines. And so is God. God hates it when we call ourselves Christians but ignore all the things he really cares about. He hates it when we go through hollow religious routines out of some feeling of duty or obligation. God doesn't want the meaningless rituals. God wants our hearts.

Paul's bold statement that grabbed me today was "The issue is not what they do to me, but what the Master Jesus does through me." May we all proclaim that this Lenten season.