Lenten greetings to the readership of Cannon Falls and the surrounding area. My name is Kira Anderson, and I am a pastor at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church in Cannon Falls. Along with people of faith around the globe, we are currently in the season of Lent. A reflective time to remember the life and sacrifice of Jesus. We hold space to remember his radical inclusion of the outcasts and his kindness and compassion that went against social norms.
Our 40-day journey gives us space to reflect on our lives and re-centers us to live as examples of Christ’s kindness in our world.
On Sunday, April 2, we move into Holy Week. It starts with Jesus entering Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with his closest friends. Then comes his Last Supper where he instructs the 12 disciples regarding the breaking of bread and drinking of wine that we still do to remember him.
On Good Friday, He is crucified. Then three days later he is raised from the dead.
The ELCA churches in our area have been exploring the “space between no longer and not yet.” We hold our experiences in our lives and remember what is no longer and is not yet.
As a church we use the language of being called, but “being called” to be something is bigger than church language. We are all called to something in our lives, as parents, as co-workers, as friends and as a community.
And whether you believe in the story of Christ or not, we are all called to be and do good in this world. As Christians, we also acknowledge that we are not left alone to navigate the spaces of “no longer and not yet,” and that God is with us.
I pray that wherever you are in your faith journey you realize that you are not left alone in this world to navigate it by yourself.
The Easter story has been told for generations all around the globe. Different religious traditions emphasize different portions of this story. Whether you are a Christian or not, whether you attend worship or not, this Easter story is for you.
Consider this an open invitation to explore your faith at St. Ansgar’s Lutheran Church, where our mission and vision as a church are inclusive of you.
As we enter this final stretch of Lent, I have a prayer for the community of Cannon Falls. I pray that you look to the world with a perspective of kindness and welcome this spring. Live with less judgment and more inclusion, with compassion and empathy. Easter Sunday is not the end of the story but a starting point to begin again. Amen.
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