Dear Peace Members and Friends,
I look out my window and see the snow coming down—again! I hope that all of you are managing in the continuing winter.
And I know one way to help you cope with later-Winter blues: join us for worship on Sunday! It’s the Third Sunday in Lent (10:45am). We’ll read together the famous (and complicated) story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. I’ll have a message about the life-giving good news of the story entitled, “Say, ‘I Do’.” The Peace Choir will be singing and we’ll share in Holy Communion. A good Sunday ahead!
On Sunday in Adult Education (10:45am), we’ll take on a topic that affects us all in one way or another: depression. The Biblical writers knew something about depression. In Psalm 131, we hear: “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,” is the way it begins, “my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” To be in a state of depression like that, is to be unable to think about or do much of anything else.
We know something about depression, too. We’ve experienced it and we know of others have also. In this hour, we’ll together try to shed some light on this disease; what it’s like and how we can respond to it. We’ll hear a brief medical update on depression from Dr. Terry Rosborough. We will watch and listen to a recorded sermon from the Washington Cathedral by the late Michael Gerson, a columnist for the Washington Post and the chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, in which he describes his own depression. We’ll together read a column of New York Times columnist, David Brooks, in which he describes the depression of his best friend. Join us for this important conversation.
Thank you to those who have already contributed money and/or clothing items toward baby care kits and personal care kits for our Lenten outreach with Lutheran World Relief. The immense suffering and need continues. If you haven’t already contributed or want further information, just stop by the Narthex table.
See you on Sunday!
Mark