Did You Go On a Springtime Treasure Hunt?

Dear Middletown Reformed Church Family and Friends,

Lenten blessings to you, beloved of God

How has the third week of your Lenten journey Coming Back to Life been for you? Did you go on a Springtime Treasure Hunt trying to find three new blossoms, three new animals (birds, insects, you name it!), and as many shades of green as you could find (emerald, pea-green, forest green, lime green, olive green, and more)? I know there are new insects because I got bitten by them while gardening last Saturday! Were you able to boil a bag of spinach to create natural green dye in order to color eggs, paper, or
fabric, celebrating the green energy of spring and God’s gift of light? And what about finding genuine kindness? What’s one of the kindest things you’ve seen someone else do? Oh goodness, I could go on and on about what I’ve witnessed over the years as beautiful acts of kindness. Just this past Sunday, Diana and Terri Sadler, Consistory members from the Community Church of Keyport delivered a bunch of food to help with the Calico Food Pantry. That wasn’t “nice” of them; it was kind. It was living out Christ’s call to follow him.

At Soup & Scripture we discussed if “nice” was the same as “kind.” I offered the suggestion that nice = happiness and kind = joy. In other words, happiness is more of a fleeting emotion whereas joy is deep, abiding because it is centered in the grace and love of God. Others said they viewed kindness as associated with action, a lived way of being in the world. What do you think? Is nice the same as kind? I’d love to hear your answer, especially to the question mentioned above — What’s one of the kindest things you’ve seen someone else do?

I look forward to worshiping with you this Fourth Sunday in Lent as we continue our journey of coming back to life. Tom will lead us in our hymns and the Joyful Noise Adult Choir will sing the Anthem “He Shall Feed His Flock.” I am preaching from Luke 16.19-31 — the parable of the rich man and Lazarus and it is NOT a story about what happens to us when we die — and my sermon title is A Great Chasm.

Keep following Jesus, beloved. And practice kindness — we need more of it in our world.

With gratitude for the privilege of being your pastor and the holy call of loving you,

Pastor Trish