Love Will Never Fail

Dear Edinburg FUMC family,

     As I write this letter, my Spotify playlist has pulled up the song, “Love Will Never Fail

 (1 Corinthians 13)” by The Porter’s Gate. The simple chorus repeats, “Love will never, ever fail.” How fitting for February. How fitting for us as we begin to prepare our hearts for Lent. “Love will never, ever fail” is, after all, the message of Lenten and the Easter seasons. It was Love who knelt in the dust of the earth and breathed life into the first human. It is Love who carries us in the wilderness journey of life, and it is to Love we return. It was Love who defeated death on the cross for all of us, forever.

     The season of Lent begins early this year; be sure to check our calendar of events for the Pancake Supper, Ash Wednesday, and Bible study dates! This Lent, I invite us into an ancient tradition. In the early church, Lent was used to prepare converts for baptism on Easter, during which they studied the essential truths of the Christian faith. If you attended our Church Family Meeting at the end of January, you heard about our plans to revitalize how we walk with our children, youth, and new members. I am using this season, in part, to help our youngest members grow in their understanding of the gospel. I also see our Lenten series as an opportunity for all of us—no matter where we are on our faith journey—to re-hear the Good News once more, as if for the first time. This is a great time to invite friends and family in need of a message of hope. 

     The Good News is truly good. We need Gospel truths to ground us in a world and time that feel shaky and uncertain. Indeed, Lent is a season of inward reflection and repentance. It is a time when we turn down the noise of the world to listen for the still small voice of God. It is a time when we allow God to show us how to grow in a more perfect love for God and neighbor. But Lent’s call to repentance is never about punishment; it is always grounded in God’s great, great love for us. A love that never, ever fails. 

This season, I invite you to hear the Good News once again. May we open our hearts and minds to be enchanted by the message of Jesus Christ again. I can’t wait to see what the Spirit will do in us and through us. 

Caminando contigo, Walking with you, 

Pastor Sarah