I'm with the DJ | Week of March 11th

Wandering Heart: Teach me

As we journey together through the season of Lent, we are constantly reminded of the transformative power of introspection, penance, and renewal in our spiritual lives. This weekend, we will study one of the most profound conversations recorded in the Gospels, found in Matthew 18 – the dialogue between Peter and Jesus about the essence of forgiveness.

In this passage, Peter comes to Jesus with a question that may resonate with many of us today: "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus responds, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times." This exchange is not just about numbers; it's about the boundless nature of forgiveness. Jesus is inviting us to embrace a forgiveness that is as infinite as God's grace, a call to forgive beyond our own perceived limits.

As we reflect on this message, we are also on the cusp of entering one of the most sacred times of the Christian calendar – Holy Week, starting March 24th. Holy Week offers us a unique opportunity to live out the lessons of forgiveness we learn from Peter's conversation with Jesus. It's a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice of love and forgiveness on the cross, where Jesus forgave even those who betrayed him.

I invite you to join me in two profound practices as we prepare for Holy Week:

1. Personal Reflection: Spend time this week reflecting on the areas of your life where forgiveness feels challenging. Ask God for the strength to offer forgiveness where it seems impossible, remembering that God's grace enables us to do what we cannot do on our own.

2. Community Reconciliation: Let us also look for ways to embody forgiveness within our community. Whether it's reaching out to someone you've been estranged from, or simply offering a kind word where there has been tension, let's make forgiveness an active part of our journey together.

Holy Week is a time of deep reflection, mourning, and ultimately, joyous celebration of the resurrection. It's a reminder of God's promise of new life, made possible through the power of forgiveness. As we prepare to enter this holy season, let us open our hearts to the transformation that forgiveness can bring, both in our lives and in the world around us.

I look forward to exploring these themes with you this weekend and walking together into the profound depths of Holy Week. May we all find new strength, healing, and hope in the power of forgiveness.

A Special E-Reader Devotional from Sanctified Art

We're blessed to have a special e-reader version of this year’s Lent devotional, courtesy of our friends at A Sanctified Art. We will also have printed versions available at church for your convenience. You can access it by sending me an email and I’ll send you the link DJ@revdj.com. Please remember, to honor and protect their creative work, refrain from sharing this link on social media or forwarding it outside our church community.

As we continue our journey through the "Wandering Heart" series, let's keep our hearts and minds open to the lessons of faith, identity, and discipleship that the Lord reveals to us through the lives of His disciples. Peter's story is our story—a journey of faith, faltering, and finding our foundation in Christ.

Pastor DJ

Upcoming Membership Class

Are you considering joining our church family? If you're looking for a community where you can grow spiritually, engage in meaningful study, and connect with others, our upcoming membership class is the perfect opportunity. Join us on April 7th, following our service, to learn more about what it means to be a part of our church. To register your interest or for more information, please email office@fwumc.org.

New Church Board Leadership

Last year, we introduced a single board governance structure, with members elected by our church community. This board plays a crucial role in guiding the mission, vision, and purpose of our church, overseeing crucial areas like finance, human resources, and trusteeship. In upcoming issues, we will be highlighting individual members of the Church Board to help you get to know the people serving our church in these important roles. Should you have any questions or thoughts for our Church Board, feel free to reach out at ChurchBoard@fwumc.org.

Seventy-seven Times

by Lauren Wright Pittman Inspired by Matthew 18:15-22 Digital painting

When I’m creating a mandala inspired by a text, I’m able to zoom out and see the bigger picture, and the image itself ends up looking like a bird’s eye view, which I think is a helpful perspective sometimes. In this mandala, I wanted to follow a person through the process of reproval, forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration as Jesus describes in Matthew 18. In the center, a person is standing alone, isolated, with their arms crossed in a closed-off posture. If you’re sinned against, Jesus says to go and “point out the fault when the two

of you are alone” (Matthew 18:15). When you move to the second ring of the mandala, there are pairs of people shaking hands, finding common ground, or at least attempting to. If this doesn’t work, then you are to bring more people (one or two more) together to provide counsel and witness. In the third ring of the mandala, two people are engaging with the closed-off person, sharing a way forward. In the next ring hyacinth flowers—which represent sorrow, regret, and forgiveness—stretch, bloom, and grow, bringing beauty into the now open arms of the people in the last ring of the mandala, who are embraced and woven into the community. The person from the center goes from being alone and closed-off to embraced and open.

When I was drawing the figures from the center out, it began to look like a dance. Is this the picture that grace paints? Forgiveness cannot happen in isolation and certainly neither can reconciliation nor restoration. The movement toward wholeness is the movement toward one another.

Perhaps craving more tangibility and practicality, Peter asks how many times he should forgive someone who has wronged him, and Jesus says, “Not seven times, but I tell you, seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). This piece contains seventy-seven people and flowers to represent the abundance of grace that Jesus calls us into. The gold represents the divine presence of empathy, compassion, grace, and love throughout this dance from isolation toward community, from brokenness toward wholeness, and from guilt and shame toward freedom.

—Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman

Abundant Grace Free Market
Saturday, April 13th 9 am - 12 pm

Reserve a table or sign up to volunteer in the Gathering Place or send an email to abundantgracefree@gmail.com.

Volunteer opportunities: Hospitality table(outside), front or back door monitor, parking lot attendant, inside traffic control, shoe store attendant, provide cookies or muffins for hospitality table.

Please share this information with friends and family and invite them to reserve a table or volunteer. Let's give everyone the opportunity to feel the joy of sharing our abundance with our neighbors!