Dear St. Luke’s,

We are officially in Lent and I feel this surprising sense of ease despite some glitches to the beginning of our sacred season of penitence. First of all, my voice is shot. The poor people who attended the 7:00 pm Ash Wednesday service were met with a barely audible gravelly voice. This morning we began the rhythm of praying at 9:00, noon and 5:00. I was relieved that I got to lead just in case if anything went wrong. For the first time in a while, I forgot to turn on my mic, so no one could hear me from home for about the first two minutes of the broadcast. After the service began it became clear that big parts of the service were missing from the bulletin. Where did they go? We still don’t know, but they were gone. At the end of the service, with all of its blunders, I got to show off my strongest skill. I am mediocre in most field, but when it comes to doing things poorly with confidence, I am second to none. Now that we are in the thick on Lent, the mistakes have been made and the world did not end, I can now breathe a sigh of relief and be grateful and we have arrived in the special time.

Friday, Frank Morgen will lead the daily prayers, then we will start the cycle of having Rebecca Questad lead on Monday, Neal Goldsborough on Tuesday, Chuck Silva on Wednesday, then back to me on Thursday. Everyone will be using a computer program they are unfamiliar with, and many will be leading services for the first time. For those that do not know these wonderful people, they are part of our St. Luke’s diaspora, and we are so thankful that we can pray with them again even though they have moved away. They are going to showcase their unique talents and gifts, and they are giving up time and energy to do this, but the thing I am most grateful for is that they are willing to try something new, even though there will certainly be hiccups.

If they were not willing to dive into this situation and make a few mistakes, then we would not be able to see them at all. When I look back, I can see so many times I chose not to take a risk or reach out to someone, because I was afraid of making a mistake. I sometimes see this play out within our community, where some may feel hesitant about reaching out to someone they don’t know, or trying something new, because they are afraid of making a blunder. Are you afraid that you have someone’s name wrong? Greet them all the same. If you get their name right, hurray! If you get it wrong, then you probably won’t get it wrong again, and you still let them know that you care enough to try.

In this sacred season we are not only leaning into the reality that we are sinners, we are also leaning into the reality that we are redeemed, and we cannot have one without the other. Let’s shed the things we think we need, but don’t, and try something new and bring light to someone’s life.

Blessings,

Nick

Here is the information about the Daily Office during Lent:

Leaders:

Mondays: Rebecca Questad

Tuesdays: Neal Goldsborough

Wednesdays: Chuck Silva

Thursdays: Nick Hull

Fridays: Frank Morgan

You can watch on the Church’s Facebook and YouTube pages at 9:00 am, noon, and 5:00 pm.

I hope to see you there!