March 2023

Pastor’s Note and Intro to Knox News:

Sunday’s service had concluded, people had passed peace and blessings to each other, and most had made their way to coffee hour. By the time I arrived, a 7-year-old friend of mine had already sampled most of the cookies and was determined to tell me which was the best. But he wasn’t content with passing on the news. He needed to take me there.

This seems like Lent at it’s best. We have things we want to share with each other; things of faith and baking and struggle and hope. We have plans that have been halted, dreams dashed, and yet hints of hope that endure. And together, we journey toward the cross of Good Friday and the triumph of Easter morn. Along the way, we share learnings and practices that keep us grounded. We share prayer concerns to affirm the importance of community and the power of prayer. We open our arms to relationships and experiences that nurture life and broaden perspective. We do more than pass along news. We take each other into deeper dimensions of radical hospitality, authentic community, and joining in on God’s transforming work in the world.

Jude 20-21

But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life.

Tom