Paying Attention

Dear Starmount Friends,
Thank you to all who attended our Ash Wednesday service this past week.  It was a wonderful beginning to the season of Lent.  Lent is the season of the liturgical calendar that precedes the celebration of Easter.  It is meant to be a time in which we prepare ourselves spiritually in order to welcome the risen Christ.  During this time many people engage in specific spiritual practices in order to aid in their preparation.  These practices may include prayer, scripture reading, meditation, or service to others.
The purpose of these spiritual practices is that they help us discover a greater awareness of God’s presence in our lives.  In short, they can help us to pay attention to God in ways that we normally do not.  In our worship services during the season of Lent, we are going to try and collectively participate in the spiritual practice of paying attention.  Each week, we will highlight one aspect of our service so that can all engage in it with greater intention.  My hope is that this practice will enliven our worship and help us connect with the movement of the Holy Spirit in new and meaningful ways.
I also want to share my thanks for your patience as we have been experimenting with one of the more meaningful aspects of our worship service, the sharing of concerns and celebrations.  For the past 6 weeks, we have made slight changes in the way we have done this portion of our service, most notably attempting to do it without congregational microphones. We have learned a lot during this process that will help us moving forward.  This Sunday, we will return to the use of microphones by those in the congregation, to ensure that everyone can hear the prayer concerns of individuals. Thank you for those who have provided feedback and for the willingness of everyone to try new things as we discern the movement of the Spirit in our midst.  I hope to see you all on Sunday!
In Christ,
Charlie Lee