Hi First Presbyterian Church,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I wanted to remind all congregation members that our annual meeting is this Sunday following our 10:00 am worship service. Please note that this meeting is in-person only! Our Presbytery has advised us that, due to a change in NY State law in 2021, congregational meetings can be either virtual or in-person but not both. So, in order for us to meet our quorum needed, please make every effort to be here in-person to attend worship and the congregational meeting afterward.

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How is your Lent going? Are you fasting or abstaining from something else during this season? In Matthew 5:6, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.” Can you imagine what our lives might be like if we pursued God like we pursue food and water - as if our very lives depended on God? Can you imagine what our lives might be like if we looked to God like we look to entertainment, hobbies, or creature comforts - as if God was the respite we needed from the stress and harshness of life?

There is a reason Christians have fasted during Lent for thousands of years – to remind ourselves that our need for physical sustenance is equally matched by our need to know and love God. Picture yourself in the middle of the desert with no water. It’s 110 degrees. The sand is hot. There are no clouds. The sun is beating down. There is no shade. You can’t even sweat anymore. Your mouth is dry and parched. You would give anything for just a drop of water. Have you ever desired God as much as you might want that drop of water? Jesus wants us to understand that we do, in fact, have a deep and desperate need for God. Thankfully, in Jeremiah 29:13, the Lord says, “When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.”

What Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection was to reconcile us to God. You can know God today because of Jesus. Jesus offers us a relationship with God… but only if we want it. Lent is a perfect time to reach out and talk to God, who wants nothing more than to hear from you. As we await the story of Easter, never forget that the gift of Easter is already yours today. That gift is Christ himself, and he awaits you.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron