March is a busy month for us here at Glenshaw Presbyterian Church! It is always exciting to see the calendar fill up with things to do.

Our month begins with the end of the season of Epiphany. On March 2, we will celebrate Transfiguration Sunday. Hopefully we will have one last epiphany and be ready to dive into our Lenten journey.

Lent, as you may recall, is a time of preparation. The Book of Common Worship explains: “The season of Lent is a time for growth in faith—through prayer, spiritual discipline, and self-examination in preparation for the commemoration of the dying and rising of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a season lasting 40 days, excluding Sundays, where we ready ourselves for the miracle of Easter.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday which falls on March 5 this year. We will once again offer Ashes to Go, along with an Ash Wednesday worship service held at 7:30 PM in the Sanctuary.

This year, we will be looking at how God moves throughout Lent. Scripture is clear that Jesus didn’t stay in one place for a long time. His brief earthly ministry was full of moving from place to place and experiencing every part of what it means to be human. When we journey with Jesus, we are changed. To help mark our journey we will have Lenten Passports to signify our stops along the way. Starting Sunday, March 9, the Lenten Passports will be available in the narthex. Each week, there will be a stamp (or sticker) to mark our stop that particular week. If you join us remotely for worship, just send us an email and we’ll be happy to mail your stickers to you.

Our worship on March 9 will be focused on how God moves into the desert. This week, we will see how Jesus lives into his humanity and experiences life just as we do.

The second Sunday in Lent is March 16. On this Sunday, we will look at how God moves past all obstacles. No matter what is thrown at Jesus, nothing will keep him from fulfilling his loving purpose.

On March 23, we will explore how God moves over the fence. There are times when we think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  When we’re wandering, Jesus is there to pull us back.

Finally, on March 30, we will look at the story of the Prodigal Son and be reminded that God moves down the road to meet us, even when we’ve squandered His grace.

I hope to see you in worship this month filling up your Lenten Passport!

Pastor Emily