ITLOTC
(In The Life Of The Church)
Lent
Into the Wilderness
Last Wednesday, we stepped out of Epiphany and into the wilderness of Lent.
If we were to attach this season to a particular part of the Jesus story, it would be when Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted. Frederick Buechner offers some helpful insights into this connection here.
Buechner refers to Jesus’ time in the wilderness as Jesus asking what it means to be Jesus. Jesus takes up the identity question—who am I? What am I for? We see the fruit of this introspection embodied in Jesus’ resisting the temptation to be various kinds of Messiah that have their power rooted in anything but self-sacrificial love.
At the Ash Wednesday services, I talked about how Lent primarily asks us to engage this identity question in the context of the ways we fail to love other people like Jesus did, confronting our brokenness head-on, and hopefully putting some sustained attention toward repentance over the next 40 days.
I think, at it’s core, Lent is challenging us to move toward a life lived fully, grasping year by year for a bit more freedom from the things that tie us own and separate us from others.
But I also wanted to make sure you had access to the questions that Buechner poses for reflection during Lent, because I think they aid in this task from a different angle than we took on Wednesday. Here they are:
If you had to bet everything you have on whether there is a God or whether there isn't, which side would get your money and why?
When you look at your face in the mirror, what do you see in it that you most like and what do you see in it that you most deplore?
If you had only one last message to leave to the handful of people who are most important to you, what would it be in twenty-five words or less?
Of all the things you have done in your life, which is the one you would most like to undo? Which is the one that makes you happiest to remember?
Is there any person in the world or any cause that, if circumstances called for it, you would be willing to die for?
If this were the last day of your life, what would you do with it?
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about any of this, feel free to email me at jamie@ubcwaco.org.
Parishoner of the Week
Ross Van Dyke and Cody Shrank for instilling the hand rail on the right side of the stage this week.
Random Pic To Generate Clickbait Traffic
Fasting The Familiar
As a follow up to last weeks sermon, we wanted to remind you that our lenten practice as a community is to fast the familiar. Included in that "familiar" is the monotony that keeps us from meeting new people and growing together. So here are five suggestions I gave for fasting the familiar in the life our church during lent this season.
1. Sit somewhere you don’t normally sit
2. invite some over you haven’t invited over before
3. schedule a lunch with a new friend
4. exchange prayer requests with someone and follow up on them
5. consider joining a group at UBC with social connection or starting a group
Another idea that came to us through mi casa was keeping our phones in the car during the worship time. What are ways you are fasting the familiar during lent?
Sunday School
Due to spring break there will be no Sunday School next week Sunday, March 4th. Sunday School will resume on Sunday March 11th.
Work is Worship
Greeters: Blaylocks
Coffee Makers: Katie & Jacob
Mug Cleaners: UBC Youth
Money Counter: Anna Tilson
Announcements
- Sermon Text: Special Guest Preach Kerri Fisher
- 3-12 Finance Team Meeting
- 3-25 Palm Sunday
- 3-29 Maundy Thursday Service
- 3-30 Good Friday Service
- 4-15 Town Hall
- 4-22 Children's Sunday
Leadership Team
If you have a concern or an idea for UBC that you’d like to share with someone that is not on staff, feel free to contact one of our leadership team members.
Chair- Emma Wood: emmaj.wood@yahoo.com
Byron Griffin: byrontgriffin@gmail.com
Stan Denman: Stan_Denman@baylor.edu
Adam Winn: adamwinn68@yahoo.com
Bridget Heins: bheins@hot.rr.com
Sharyl Loeung: sharylwl@gmail.com
Jon Davis: jdavis83@gmail.com
Student Position: Samuel Moore: samuel_moore2@baylor.edu
Student Position: Leah Reed: Leah_Reed@baylor.edu
UBC Finance Team
Do you have a question about UBC’s financial affairs? Please feel free to contact any of your finance team members.
JD Newman: JD_Newman@baylor.edu
Hannah Kuhl: HannahKuhl@hotmail.com
Justin Pond: pondjw@gmail.com
Anna Tilson: Anna_Tilson@jrbt.com
Doug McNamee: douglas_mcnamee@baylor.edu
UBC HR Team
If you have concerns about staff and would like contact our human resources team, please feel free to email any of the following members.
Rob Engblom: Rob_Engblom@baylor.edu
Ross Van Dyke: Ross_Vandyke@baylor.edu
Jared Gould: jared.gould1@gmail.com
Rebekah Powell: rpowell671@gmail.com
Kristen Richardson: wacorichardsons@gmail.com