Sunday, February 5^th
(Bulletin)

The readings today affirm the importance of prayer in keeping our focus for ministry. Restored by God's transforming love, we are reshaped as messengers of good news. In our Gospel lesson, Mark 1:29-39 , as Jesus is seeking rest at the home of Simon and Andrew, he is called upon to heal Simon's mother-in-law. Crowds begin to press in around the house, demanding more words and deeds of power from Jesus.

Isaiah calls God's people to remember that God - who created the universe and rules everything within it - is their source of strength.

We will share pew communion during the 10:30 service.

Sunday, February 12^th
(Bulletin Not Yet Available)

Today's Gospel lesson, Mark 1:40-45 , includes a story about Jesus healing a person with leprosy. In Mark, these miracle stories are symbols of the power of God that lives in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 , Paul encourages early Christians, and us, to tell freely the good news of Christ. Paul's metaphor of the athlete's endurance and focus gives the faithful in Corinth an image of the commitment they are called to bring to this task.

Joyful Noise and Young Spirit will sing this Sunday, and the Cambridge Handbell Choir will be playing.

Sunday, February 19^th 
(Bulletin Not Yet Available)

The Season after the Epiphany ends with the story of Jesus' transfiguration in Mark 9:2-9 . This revealing of Jesus' glory is a turning point, marking the end of his ministry in Galilee and the beginning of the journey towards Jerusalem and the fate that awaits him there. Just before today's reading, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. But Peter does not understand Jesus' teaching about the kind of Messiah Jesus has come to be.

It is in the seeing and understanding that God's messenger is known. In 2 Kings 2:1-12 , the prophet Elijah is carried up to heaven, and Elisha glimpses the sacred and comes to a fuller understanding of who Elijah is. Elisha receives a double portion of the spirit of Elijah, and is thus known as a prophet in the true succession.

Sunday, February 26^{th 
First Sunday in Lent}
(Bulletin Not Yet Available)

During the Season of Lent, we reflect on what it means to journey through life as God leads us. The first lesson this morning, Genesis 9: 8-17 , is the first description of a covenant in the Bible. God promises Noah never again to destroy the earth. After a period of preparation and testing in the wilderness, Mark 1: 9-15 , Jesus begins his ministry, proclaiming the good news that God's reign is breaking into the world in a new way.

This Sunday has been designated as Seminary Sunday, and we are pleased to welcome The Rev. Dr. Carol Lytch, President of Lancaster Theological Seminary, to our pulpit for the day.