“Being at Mercy made me excited to study scripture—it made the word come alive in ways that felt ever relevant to our lives together in the Christian community.”
Blessed Lenten Season, friends!
As you may remember, for years, the staff and community members of Mercy Community Church crafted, printed, and mailed out devotional books as a resource and gift for your Lenten season. This was one way that our church could share some of our stories and wisdom with you, our wider community of supporters.
When I first began attending Mercy Church some eleven years ago now, one of the many things that drew me to this community was the theological insight of those I encountered here. Each discussion-style sermon (of which there could be five in one week!) was an opportunity for us all to dig into the text together by asking questions, offering insights, and making connections to our lives and experiences. Being at Mercy made me excited to study scripture—it made the word come alive in ways that felt ever relevant to our lives together in the Christian community. In many ways, our devotionals encapsulated the theological work our community was doing all the time in these discussions!
I loved working on our community’s devotional books through the years. It allowed me the opportunity to listen to peoples’ stories and deep reflections on scripture. Some of my favorite conversations at Mercy came out of sitting with people and working on their pieces with them. Folding, stapling, and stamping them together had its joys and merits, too. Moreover, it made me happy to think that through these writings, others could see the thoughtful insights that I am honored to hear all the time.
Through our many transitions in recent years, this much-beloved practice was lost. However, in this same spirit, this Lenten season, we will be sharing some written reflections by staff and church members through our website and social media that we hope you will enjoy and share! Over the years, our Lenten writings have held such a special place in my heart, so I am delighted our community will be sharing this work again. Reading scripture alongside my community members is important to my own Lenten practices. Through these writings, you, too, can reflect alongside our community in this season.
Perhaps this Lent, you feel overwhelmed by bad news, uncertainty, or just the ordinary busyness of life. We hope that in this season, you might intentionally take time to slow down, to listen, and to pay attention. Perhaps you will give something up or share with those who have need. I also hope that in this time set aside, you may engage in some of the readings we will be putting out each week from members of our community. Each reflection will engage scripture or other Lenten themes and will also share wisdom from our lives and experiences. I pray these reflections may offer you some new insight or help you to see where God is already present among us. If nothing else, we hope they may allow you to feel connected to us!
Whatever your Lenten practices may be this season, we ask that you keep our community in your prayers!
With gratitude and hope,
Pastor Brittany Fiscus-van Rossum
