Advent Lutheran Church • 16 Telford Avenue • West Lawn, PA 19609 • 610.678.2411

Photo of Pastor Mark Rigg Rev. Mark R. Rigg, Pastor

From The Pastor

Brothers and sisters,

February is a transition month in many ways: as you read this, my guess is that memories of Christmas are still fresh.  By the time the month has passed, we will have gathered for the first Sunday of Lent.  From “Joy to the World” to ashes on our forehead – that’s quite a leap!

My hope for all of us is that we this transitional month will be a blessing.  Even when the days are cold, God is active in our midst.  God pours out gifts not just at Christmas or at Easter, but in all the days and seasons of our lives.  Here are a few of those gifts:

  • We have the gift of worship, and what a gift it is!
  • We have the gift of lengthening days – a few minutes more light each morning and evening – reminding us in this Epiphany season that Christ is the light coming into the world.
  • We have the gifts of Scripture.  This year our focus on Sundays is the Gospel of Mark – the shortest of the four gospels.  How wonderful it would be if some of the people of Advent sat down and read St. Mark straight through in February: it would probably take about as long as one episode of Dancing with the Stars!
  • We have the gift of prayer.  Now that the rush of Christmas is past, February is a wonderful opportunity to practice the daily discipline of prayer.
  • We have the gift of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Especially from our homebound members I am reminded what a gift other people are – how fortunate we are to sit across the table from another person and break bread or simply talk about our day.
  • Finally, as the month comes to an end, we will have the blessings of Ash Wednesday and Lent – the opportunity to repent and refocus our lives in God.

When Lent does arrive, there will be midweek worship (both at lunchtime and in the evening), and there will be soup and bread suppers and hymn-sings: I encourage you to be a part of all of it.  Even before that, though, the gifts of God are rich among us.  If all of that excites you, then the Holy Spirit is already working in you! If you are uncertain about how to pray or read Scripture or participate in worship, give me a call or come see me in the office.  What else is a pastor for?

 

Your shepherd and servant,

Pastor Rigg