United Parish of Bowie
United in Christ – Our Mission: To Serve
Presbyterian Church (USA) and United Church of Christ
The Journey Toward Sunday
Easter is coming! It's all over the stores… we have to get our grass and our eggs this week, the coloring kits are all prominently displayed, as are the ready-made Easter Baskets... just buy and unwrap. I visited a nursing home yesterday and got to be part of the activity time for a few minutes… the patients were cutting out Easter egg and Easter bunny decorations to put up on the wall and I was greeted by at least one nurse with a robust Happy Easter. And it struck me that this is the first time I've noticed that Easter feels a lot like Christmas… not the "worship and celebrate the birth of Jesus" Christmas but the "buy lots of stuff and be of good cheer" Christmas. Soon I expect that someone will suggest gifts for Easter too… I mean if the Easter Bunny is already hiding all those eggs, how hard would it be to hide a few presents along the way? And what kid doesn't like presents? It's a win-win-win situation, right?
Now don't get me wrong, bunnies and eggs and chocolates are fine in their context, but with 4 days left before Easter, I do hope there's more to our narrative than that. There's certainly more to the life of Christ. Last week at worship we remembered Jesus entering Jerusalem and being hailed as a king… on Thursday we will celebrate the Last Supper and the new commandment (which is where "Maundy" comes from) and on Friday we will remember the betrayal, desertion and the trek to the Cross. And the road taken to get there only makes the empty tomb all the more meaningful on Sunday morning when we celebrate the resurrection and the joy of New Life! Come, remember and celebrate this Holy Week and Easter Sunday! Thursday and Friday evening services will start at 7:30. Sunday morning will be the regularly scheduled 11:00.
Other things going on in the life of UPB:
- Christmas in April is right around the corner. We know the house where we'll be working and there is much to be done… from plumbing and electrical work to installing new cabinets, and from cleaning to taking care of plants, there is something for everyone! Mark your calendars for April 30th and come help out a local neighbor in need. Sign-ups will be at the church for the next couple of weeks or you can talk to Herb S. for more information.
- United Parish supports the United Campus Ministry at College Park with a financial donation every year and two of our members have been on the board of UCM and now we have the opportunity to learn more and be a part of supporting them directly. They are hosting a Spaghetti Dinner and Benefit Concert on April 29th. I'd encourage you to attend if you are able to learn about the impact they're making at UMD. It looks to be fun and I'm sure they would be appreciative of whatever support you're able to give.
- Men's night out is April 26th, this time we're headed south (not literally) to On The Boarder in Bowie.
- SEEDs (midweek family program) Silly Song Spring Session starts Wednesday April 27th. Please let Rebecca H know if you and your family are planning to participate and if you can help support the ministry by providing food.
Rebecca YG has asked for prayers for her Dad who is at Larkin Chase right now. They are looking for someone to help out with care for him and providing for his safety for a few hours a day… so if you're interested in a part time job or know someone who is, you can contact Rebecca or if you don't have her contact info, let me know and I'll get you in touch.
This Sunday's scripture readings can be found here. We'll be focusing in on the gospel reading from John, but there's lots of good stuff there. Read and pray with as much as you can to prepare yourself for Easter!
As always, if you want to look further out on the calendar, the website is a great resource. And feel free to get in touch with me regarding your hopes, dreams, and ideas for the future of UPB, or to let me know about other things that are going on in your life.
Wishing you a faithful Holy Week, and when it's time… a Happy Easter!
Pastor Dan
Office phone: 301-249-6411
Email: pastordan@unitedparishbowie.org
On the web: www.unitedparishbowie.org
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