As we move fully into Lent, we will be looking at choices that Jesus makes. He faces several hard ones right off the bat, as the Tempter meets him in the desert and makes several appealing offers. What is it about those choices and why did they have to come first?
— Pastor Anne
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2024 promises to be an “historic” year–wars around the globe; consequential national election at home; strife and division; and individuals, families, companies, and churches trying to figure out how to be in the next stage after a global pandemic. Sometimes it may be hard to feel hope in the midst of all this turmoil.
During the seven Saturdays of Lent, we will meet at Horn Pond (Sturgis Street parking lot – see map) at 9am. for a reflection — we’ll consider how hope has sustained us in the past, and how we might remain hopeful in the face of today’s challenges. Then will walk as long or as little as each of us wants, solo or with another member of the community.
Bring your coffee and join us Saturday February 17 at 9am for our first walk! If you have any questions, ask Pam Reeve.
When people talk about “family values” in the Bible, I often wonder which family they’re talking about. For this last Sunday before Lent begins, we’re going to travel back to Genesis and visit with Abraham’s twin grandsons, Jacob and Esau. There are enough choices here to fill a month, but I’ll try to narrow it to just a few as we look at the twins who literally came out of the womb wrestling for control.
— Pastor Anne
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One of the worst decisions in the Bible is made by a person most people have never heard of: Rehoboam, son of Solomon. As the United Monarchy in Israel is teetering on the brink of civil war, King Solomon dies and the country looks to Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, to unite them. It does not go well.
This week’s sermon title, The Torn Fabric, is taken from a scene right before the story when a prophet in the court (who you’ve also likely never heard of) sees the looming disaster and rips the new garment he is wearing into 12 pieces. It is torn to predict the splintering of Israel’s twelve tribes that is to come. Sunday we’ll look at what went wrong and how it might speak to us in our divided world
— Pastor Anne
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Choice is a topic that looms large in 2024. From a presidential election to reproductive choice to the United Methodist Church deciding in May how we will move forward as a denomination, there are major choices to be made this year that will have lasting effects. So our theme at Crawford for all of 2024 is “A Time for Choosing.”
Here at the outset of the year, we’re going to set the stage by exploring choices made by characters in the Bible. From now until Lent begins, we will look at characters who made choices that most would consider bad choices—if not sinful, then at least ones that caused more problems than other options. Then during Lent, we’ll compare those poor choices with choices that Jesus makes during his ministry.
To kick off our set of poor choices, we turn this coming Sunday to the story of Jonah. If you’ve never read Jonah, pick up a Bible and read the book bearing his name in the Old Testament. (Or read it online, here.) It’s only four chapters long and a good read. Jonah is an important figure for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, so you really should know his story. Then, come Sunday, we’ll look at why he made the choices he did and what we might learn from his mistakes as we make choices of our own.
— Pastor Anne
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