When we started the sermon series, Lenten Conversations, at church on February 26th, I  mentioned that one of my sermons will be about a conversation Jesus had with a Samaritan woman. After the service, church member, Anne Green approached me and said, "I will never forget a sermon you preached about the Samaritan woman 14 years ago." And then Anne went on to give me one of the details from the sermon. I was amazed! I can't even remember what I had for breakfast, yet Anne remembered something from a sermon over a dozen years ago. This says a whole lot about Anne's "smarts" — she's one sharp cookie. 

What's even more amazing is that a woman in Samaria who lived two thousand years ago is influencing people's lives now! It's especially amazing when you consider that a person in her culture — a female in Samaria around 33 A.D. — had very little power or influence — if any at all. She would be the last person to believe that she would be impacting people's lives thousands of years later.

This is a good lesson for all of us. 

You may not think that your life — your small acts of kindness — your conversations with others — are making much of a difference. But like the Samaritan woman, your acts ok kindness, your conversations, your story are impacting more people than you think. In fact, they may impact people for generations.

So I hope you will be with us for the third Sunday in Lent. The choir will be singing "As the Deer" for the Introit and "Come to the Water" for the Offertory Anthem. I am also excited because Rev. Jan Durham will be offering the pastoral prayer. Jan and Sam will be moving to North Georgia this month to be closer to family, so we are sure glad Jan can lead us in prayer one last time before she moves up north. 

What a blessing it was for Asbury Memorial when Jan and Sam Durham came to Asbury in 2008. Jan became our Associate Minister and helped lead worship. Sam participated in skits, became a church photographer, and specialized in making and eating Pecan Pies! The Durhams have blessed us greatly. Asbury Memorial is a better and stronger church because of them. 

Later this month, the Durhams will be moving to the Atlanta area to be closer to family. Following Sunday's worship service, we will be honoring Jan and Sam in Holliday Hall. Hope you will make a special effort to be at church on Sunday to see the Durhams and to wish them well.

Confirmation Classes began last Sunday and will normally meet at Asbury on Sundays during Lent after the worship service. This week, however, the participants of the class are encouraged to attend the 9:30 a.m. service at our Wesley Oak campus. Following the service, the class members will be given brunch. Then Rev. Lynn Drake will be leading them in an interactive class about worship and its elements. So, confirmands, head to Wesley oak this coming Sunday, and back to Asbury the next!

Come and experience the peace and renewal at the Taizé Services on Wednesday nights during Lent. The silence, the prayers, the music, the chants, the visuals...all come together in such a way that we experience the Mystery and Wonder of God. The services are 25-30 minutes long. 

Come join us on Wednesday nights and experience the breath of God.

Before the Taizé Services on Wednesday, come and have supper with your church family. We hope that folks from both the Asbury Campus and the Wesley Oak Campus will come and commune together. Please see our website and our newsletter for details. We want to be sure to have enough food and place settings for everyone, so please make a reservation by contacting the church office.

The last time the Common Lectionary encouraged me to preach about the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman was three years ago on March 15, 2020. The bulletins were made, but the sermon never got preached. It was the third Sunday in Lent three years ago when everything came to a screeching halt. Our worship service was cancelled. The St. Patrick's Day Parade was cancelled. None of us quite knew what was in store for us as we wandered through the wilderness called Covid-19. It was on March 15th — the third Sunday in Lent — that the CDC recommended no gatherings of 50 or more people.

As I started preparing this sermon and for Sunday's service, I experienced flashes of grief and sadness as I thought about all that people had been through since that day...what our congregation had been through. Many churches did not survive the pandemic.

My tears of sadness transitioned to tears of joy as I reflected on the last several months. More and more people are filling the pews and experiencing community again. Not only are we starting to experience what we used to experience again, we now have a very exciting new addition. The development of our Live Stream Ministry during the pandemic has helped us reconnect with past church members like Kimmi Sampieri and Deborah Ray in Costa Rica and helped us discover new church member Terry Harman in New Jersey....and offers us the possibility of connecting with many more people around the world. We are so blessed!

As you enter the sanctuary this Sunday...or as you sit in front of your television before the service, take a minute to reflect on these past three years, and give thanks.

Love,
Billy