There is something powerful about a transformational story. Goodness wins out over everything else. We love these stories.
These are the heartwarming movies we watch with our kids. They are feel-good. They remind us that the world is not such a difficult place after all. Testimonies are part of our faith experiences as well, where God does not stop making a difference for good for faithful people everywhere.
Within the ministry of Jesus, we witness how God gets involved in the lives of people and alters them for the better, more faithful, and more impacting. This year, we are turning Lent upside down (or maybe it is right side up!).
When I grew up, we focused on Lenten disciplines of prayer, worship services on Wednesday, service projects) that would draw us closer to God. All good faith practices to be sure. Yet, we also believe that God does not wait for us to be involved in the world and in our lives.
Our Lenten season will focus on the kaleidoscope of stories from the Book of Acts where the Holy Spirit is on the loose in the world! We’ll see the ways the Spirit is active, altering perspectives, transforming communities, and consistently and purposefully blazing a trail ahead of us.
We’ll catch up with the work of the Holy Spirit with Paul and the early Christian community who was experiencing this new faith the very first time. Join us for Altered: Unbelievable Stories of the Spirit on the Loose on Sunday mornings at 9:00 or 10:30 AM.
Enjoy this newsletter prepared by your dedicated St. Andrew staff. We frequently witness the transformative power of God here at church and in our community. We give thanks for the opportunity to share some of our stories from the halls, classrooms and relationships at our church. The Spirit is working within our church to inspire worship, warm faithful relationships, and commitment of service toward others, just to name a few. We hope that it inspires you as much as we have been inspired by the work of the Spirit around us.
See you in worship,
Peter Johnson
Interim Senior Pastor