A word from Pastor Bette…

Love is a Choice We Practice Together

As we enter the season of Lent, the church invites us into a sacred time of reflection, prayer, repentance and renewal.  Lent is not simply about what we give up, it is about what we take on—especially a deeper, more intentional way of loving God and our neighbor.

In a world that often treats love as a feeling that comes and goes, we are reminded that love is a way of life we choose.  The Apostle Paul writes “Love is patient; love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7 NIV)  These are not passive traits.  These are daily decisions—commitments to act with grace, humility, and compassion.

Lent gives us space to examine how we are living out that command.  Are we choosing patience when it would be easier to be stern?  Are we choosing mercy when resentment feels justified?  Are we committed to see Christ in one another—especially in those who are different from us?

As United Methodists, we understand our mission as one that is lived out together: to love and teach one another to be disciples of Jesus Christ which in turn transforms us and those around us.  That transformation begins with love—love that is practiced in worship, nurtured through prayer, and expressed through acts of service, justice and hospitality.

During this Lenten season, may we continue to be a church who chooses love on purpose.  A church who opens its doors and hearts wide.  A people who walk alongside one another in faith, even when the world around us is challenging and often going in a different direction.  May we be a church who reflects Christ’s love in both word and deed.

Blessings to you all as we enter this Lenten season together.

Amen! 

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