As we enter into the Holiest of Weeks, I invite you to join me in prayer. I also encourage you to read the Scriptures of this week which bring us from the Meal in the Upper Room to the Garden of Gethsemane and, finally, to the Cross.

You are also welcome to join us for Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service at 7:30pm and Good Friday Quiet Mediation from 12-3pm. Remembering the significance of these days lead us to experience the profound joy of Easter morning.

Lord Jesus Christ,
in this sacred and solemn week
when we see again
the depth and mystery of your redeeming love,
help us to follow where you go,
to stop where you stumble,
to listen when you cry,
to hurt as you suffer,
to bow our heads in sorrow as you die,
so that, when you are raised to life again,
we may share in your endless joy. Amen.

(from the United Church of Canada worship resource, "Celebrating God's Presence" UCPH, 2000)

will I lay my cloak before you,
when they arrest you on olive mountain,
or pull it tighter around me,
fading into the ranks of the deserters;

will I shout
'Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!'
when they parade you
before the authorities,
or will I tell any one - and every one - around me
I never met you in my life;

will I lay my palm branches at your feet,
as they march you to Calvary,
or use them to put more stripes
on your bloody back;

will I run behind you
when they carry you to the tomb,
or turn away
as the ashes of my hopes
are rubbed into the
wounds in my heart?

~ author unknown

Spring is the time of new things! New life springs up everywhere this time of year. Even as the snow came down yesterday there were signs of new life all around us ~ the grass is greening, some bulbs are starting to poke through the earth, and even the birds have arrived to serenade us. Spring has, indeed, sprung. (Even in Vermont!)

But nature is not the only thing being renewed this time of year. We have the opportunity for renewal as well. In our Scripture reading yesterday we heard Isaiah proclaim the word of God saying, "Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old... I am about to do a new thing!" Everyday God does new things in our lives and in the world. The question for us is, "Can we perceive it?"

In my own life I can celebrate a renewed closeness with my Dad, even in the midst of his illness. While my Dad and I have always been close, I can sense a deepening of that relationship. This is a renewal that gives me strength in a difficult time. What new thing is God doing in your life now? How do you feel God's renewal working in you to give you hope or strength for the days ahead?

This week's Gospel lesson is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This is a touching parable that can bring up all kinds of emotions ~ jealousy, joy, anger, gratitude. The three main characters are the father, the younger son, and the older son.

Rembrandt depicted this parable in his famous work, "The Return of the Prodigal Son." Spiritual writer and Catholic priest, Henri Nouwen, was captivated by this work of art and spent many hours studying it when writing his book by the same name. As he explains, "It had brought me into touch with something within me that lies far beyond the ups and downs of a busy life, something that represents the ongoing yearning of the human spirit, the yearning for a final return, an unambiguous sense of safety, a lasting home."

What feelings does this parable bring up for you? Are you touched in any way by Rembrandt's painting? Have there been times in your life when you have been the father or the younger brother or the older brother? Where do you find that sense of safety or lasting home?

As part of our current "ReThink Church" study, we've been asking questions about who we are as a church. This has been an interesting exercise as we've heard different thoughts about what we do well, what we don't do well, and the gifts we have to offer to the larger community.

Here are some of the words and phrases that have been used to describe Faith UMC:

Intergenerational
Flexible and Creative
Committed to Each Other
Meets Needs in Unique Ways
Accepting of All
Evolving and Changing
Welcoming

Does this list describe Faith UMC to you? What words would you use? How would you describe your community of faith? Please share your thoughts in the 'comments.'

This week in our Lenten Study on ReThink Church we are asking the question, "What if Church were a Verb?" In our culture we tend to think of church as a noun, as a place that we go. But what if we thought of church as something that we do rather than a place where we go? How would that change our thinking about church? How could that expand our mission as disciples of Jesus Christ?

And, if church were a verb, what kind of verb would it be? What are some ways we could do church? These are fun questions to ask with no wrong answers. That's the good thing about ReThinking.... we get a chance to brainstorm and share unlimited ideas and possibilities!

How have you re-thought church lately? How is church a verb in your life?

I was both shocked and saddened when I turned on the TV Saturday and saw that our global community suffered another devastating natural disaster. Still reeling from the earthquake in Haiti, we are now faced with the very real needs of the people of Chili in the wake of last weekend's 8.8 quake. The danger for the people of Haiti is that the news cycles and public interest will now turn to Chili and the continuing needs of the Haitian people will be forgotten.

Yet, it gives me hope that the people of the United Methodist Church (that's you and me!) have already responded to the needs in Chili, while maintaining our presence in Haiti. Let us continue to be in prayer for the needs of our brothers and sisters around the globe.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

United Methodists were scrambling to respond to a massive earthquake that struck Chile early on Feb. 27 and prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific region.

The magnitude 8.8 earthquake, which hit about 60 miles northwest of the town of Chillán, left nearly 150 people dead, according to news reports, including at least three people swept into a large wave on an island 400 miles off the coast of Chile. Santiago, the capital, is 200 miles northeast of the epicenter.

President Michelle Bachelet declared a "state of catastrophe" in central Chile, and the quake was felt in neighboring countries as far away as Brazil, according to news reports.

The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, an UMCOR emergency response executive, said the agency had exchanged e-mails with Juan Salazar, president of Ministerio Social Methodista in Chile, to offer assistance....

The earthquake struck at 3:34 a.m. and reports of damage continued to come in all day. The force of the earthquake was enough to jolt the 94-year-old mother of the Rev. Oscar Carrasco, a district superintendent in the United Methodist Northern Illinois Conference, from her bed in Curacautín.

Joyce Carrasco, Oscar’s wife, reported that they had heard his mother was OK, but that his sister’s house next door was heavily damaged. Her mother-in-law is keeping the family focused in prayer and she feels the family is blessed to be able to be together and prepare a meal. "Thank goodness for fire wood while Curacautín is isolated. … bridges are out. There is a tense calm," Carrasco said. "Still waiting to hear more news."

A United Methodist volunteer-in-mission group from Wisconsin, working in Chile since Feb. 17, was reported to be safe. The team was doing repair work at the Agricultural School of La Granja in the town of Nueva Imperial.

Hazelwood said the Methodist Church in Chile will be better able to respond to the earthquake because of disaster training that he and Melissa Crutchfield, an UMCOR colleague, conducted there in October. The autonomous denomination has some 15,000 members.

About 20 church members, representing different districts, participated in the three-day disaster preparedness and emergency response training, which also allowed for networking with local authorities and emergency response partners.

The plan is to create a humanitarian response system in Chile in collaboration with UMCOR and the Chilean Oficina Nacional de Emergencia del Ministerio del Interior. “We have a great relationship with the people in Chile and the church in Chile,” Hazelwood added.

Hazelwood and Crutchfield had intended to return to Chile in January to sign a memorandum of understanding with the church, he said, but the trip was postponed because of the earthquake in Haiti. Financial support can be made to Chile Emergency Advance # 3021178.

Gifts can also be made by check to UMCOR and mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. For local church and Annual Conference credit, place your gift in the offering plate on Sundays. Please indicate in the memo line of the check that it is for the Chile Emergency.