Northfield Methodist Church

Dear Friends
We are only two weeks away from Palm Sunday! Just over two weeks away from the remembrance of those defining moments of human history.
How is your personal preparation for Easter proceeding? What did you give up for Lent this year? Traditionally we are to give up something that we really enjoy, like chocolate or coffee or pizzas or movies. If that works for you that is fine!

Day 18 of Lent 2010 - nearly half way!
Dear Friends
Speaking of Lent and temptations confronted, there is a legend amongst Methodist ministers that for every temptation overcome, a hair is taken from their head. Rev Delme Linscott, we applaud you but also encourage you, Brian and Mike to put their heads together (get it?) and come up with a plan of action for Trevor and Gavin!

Dear Friends
Warm greetings.
We welcome you to worship today. As you may know, today is the second Sunday of Lent. We are very aware that many folk are not sure what Lent is all about. Here are a few thoughts that you may find helpful.

Dear Friends
The Lenten journey, preparing us for our 2010 encounter with Jesus of the cross and the grave, has begun! The Ash Wednesday call was to use Lent to address the secrets we keep in a way that God can bring healing to us and to others.
Around the dinner table before Lent, my children informed me that fizzy drinks, chocolates and Play Station are on the "what we cut out list" for Lent. May whatever is on your list; raise your awareness not only of lurking temptations but also of God's presence in the face of those temptations.

Dear Friends,
May this time of Lent be a time of deep spiritual blessing for you.
This last week on Ash Wednesday we began our journey through this time of preparation for Easter. The word Lent comes from the German/Dutch "lente" meaning Spring - because it more or less co-incides with springtime in the Northern hemisphere. It's a lovely image really because we associate Spring with new life, renewal, re-birth.

Dear Friends
We continue on our Lenten journey today by learning to be obedient to Jesus' teaching to take up our Cross each day. This is a call to a lifestyle of servant hood and service.
This journey takes us to Palm Sunday (16 March), Holy Week (17-22 March) and Easter Sunday (23 March) and is aimed at enabling us to live Easter lives.
To help us deepen our experience of Christ during this journey, special events are being planned to help us pray more expectantly, worship more richly and share more deeply with others. Please read the bulletin carefully for details on these special events. We warmly invite you to share with us.
In particular, we want to introduce you to our Year-of-your-lifers today. These ten young people completed school last year and have joined our staff for one year in order to learn and grow, experience church community and serve.
We are very pleased to have them on campus. Please pray for them and bless them.

Dear Friends,
As many of you may know, we began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday this past week. We had a very special morning service with Bill Meaker to start the day and in the evening hosted a Celtic Healing Service. It was an evening in which our Lord Jesus was deeply present to heal and restore. We thank God for every testimony to his healing and restoring grace.
May we invite you to make this Lenten journey an intentional part of your life. We have posted (please see my last blog entry) the recitation (Jesus' Great Commandment), which for 40 days should be recited aloud in the morning and the evening. In the evening recitation of the Commandment we are asking people to reflect on the day and to confess any sins against the Great Commandment throughout the day. This very simple practice could have a profound effect on our journey with Jesus. Would you commit yourself to it?

This Lent we invite you to begin and end each day with a recitation of Jesus' Great Commandment:
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
The second is this: "Love your neighbour as yourself". There is no greater Commandment greater than these."
Jesus here amends the Shema of Judaism (Deut 6:4-9) by adding Leviticus 19:18 thus revealing that real discipleship is all about learning to love God and others.
Will you commit yourself to repeating these words twice each day, for the duration of Lent. And whenever it comes to mind throughout the day, recite it again.
In your evening recitation of one Great Commandment, give some moments for reflection to confess any sins against the Great Commandment throughout the day.