Lent has (by grace, through fasting) loosed us from the distraction of good things that can delay us on our journey and has dislodged some things (by grace, through repentance) that so often entangle us as we walk. And so, we journey this week with Jesus, retracing the steps of his final days and hours with a clearer mind and sharper focus, waiting to see again, as for the first time, the marvel of His Holy Week.

Dear Members of New Covenant, Last Sunday we played a short video of Karen James sharing a touching testimony about tithing. If you missed it, you can catch it -- HERE. And this Sunday Fr. Dave McDaniel will share on the same topic. While there are lots of opinions on, and a lot to be said about tithing, I fear I say too little.

As the handcuffs ominously clicked, little Kelly asked, “Where are they taking my daddy?” as her daddy was led from the courtroom to jail. I don't recall how I responded. I was probably as shocked by the immediacy of his exit as was his daughter little Kelly, his wife, Celeste, sister, Betsy, and John and Mary Jane, his mother and father. Too stunned to even produce tears. “Guilty” and away he went.

Most of the three years of Jesus’ ministry took place along the Northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here He did most of His teaching, preaching, miracles, and fed the 5,000. Most of His disciples were from this region. But just before He took His disciples on His last trip to Jerusalem, where He knew the Cross awaited, He left the quiet, pastoral hills of Galilee for a two day journey to Caesarea Philippi. Why?

As I prepared for this Sunday I ran across an older BLOG that laid the ground work for much that I want to discuss on Sunday. I am including excerpts of the key points that I found helpful and have also included a link to the entire article, Missional: More than a Buzz Word by Brad Brisco.

BOGO. I’ve never understood how that acronym gets used. I see and hear it frequently. My grocery store loves it. It means “buy one, get one.” I know that. But that doesn’t seem to be newsworthy. Most (all?) economic transactions don’t let you “get one” until you “buy one.” I’m told by people who care for me in spite of my questions that the word free is implied and understood. By most (all?) people. BOGO actually means BOGO (Free).

Dear New Covenant, We are writing to invite you to 9 o’clock. Beginning in February, we are taking a fresh look at adult formation by presenting four new series at 9:00 am in the Parish Hall. Our format deserves a word of explanation. Glenn, Sheryl, Clint and I will take a Sunday each month and develop a theme or topic. Listed below are two ways to see what is coming. The schedule shows you who is teaching each week. The descriptions tell you what the focus of each module will be.

Please cover our retreat in prayer and prepare for this Sunday's service. The worship team, vestry and staff will be meeting in Daytona Beach Shores for a time of listening, prayer and worship. Andy Piercy will lead us in the retreat and then again in Sunday worship. He is a world renowned singer/songwriter with a heart for worship.

We all have a set of traditions at Christmas, and changing those traditions is never easy even when it’s for good reason. You see until this year, I have always attended Christmas Eve service; I’ve never attended a Christmas Day service, not as a child, not as a young adult, not even as a chaplain. Rarely had our Christmas morning as a family been interrupted by anything other than family desiring a visit. When I was a chaplain, we would rotate the holidays so that no one person had to work each and every one. To be honest, I had offered to handle the Christmas Day service as a chance to give Father Carl and Father Christopher time with their families. As I was viewing it, it was an obligation that I could take off of their plate. As usual, they had much to teach me!

Dear Friends of New Covenant, Barb and I attended an ornament gift exchange party last week, and I had been thinking a lot about receiving. I thought of Martin Luther suggesting that we dishonor God when we try to earn His free gift of grace. It’s not a gift exchange. It’s a free gift. We are receivers. And here we were at a gift exchange. A fun affair! I had to be near the last to go and get an ornament. I was number 54. You know how it works; everyone brings an ornament that goes into a pile. Then you can take one from the pile, or go take one from someone who already has one you like, and then they get to go again. Anyway, I went to the pile, now down to two gifts, and opened a lovely clear glass ball with some white design circumventing its middle. As I walked to my seat, I remembered one of the guests saying she wanted white because her tree was all white lights and white ornaments. So before I sat down, I said, “Here, would you like this?”