Dear CCOV Family,

It’s hard to believe that we are nearly half way through the church season of Lent, which this year goes from Ash Wednesday, March 1 until dawn on Easter Sunday, April 16!   Lent is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, in commemoration of the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert, before he began his public ministry.  The English word “Lent” is a shortened form of the Old English word “Lenten,” which meant “spring season.”  The word may contain a reference to the lengthening of days characteristic of spring.

Appropriately, we are approaching the midpoint of the Lenten sermon series on the Miracles/Signs of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of John.  Rev. Len Silvester will be with you this Sunday, March 19 preaching on Jesus’ Feeding of the 5000, found in John 6:5-14.  His sermon title is “Here’s to the Leftovers!”  On Sunday, March 26, I have decided to preach on Jesus’ restoring sight to a man blind from birth instead of the sign of him walking on water, as I had announced previously.  You may want to read the entirety of John Chapter 9 in preparation, though I am going to focus on the first 12 verses.  Always read John’s Gospel with an awareness that much is going on just beneath the surface.  I will keep unpacking the deep meanings for you as we finish the series.

I bid you grace and peace as you continue your Lenten journey.

Rev. Sandi