Note from Pastor J R for Sunday, February 18, 2024
This Sunday is the “First Sunday in Lent.” The liturgical color is “purple.” At Covenant we call it “Purple Sunday,” and encourage folks to wear something purple on this day. Sunday also happens to be “Covenant’s 43rd Anniversary.” If possible, join us in-person for a special reception hosted by the Board of Directors following the service.
The assigned text from Genesis 9 is part of the story of Noah and the flood. It features the first time a rainbow appears in the sky as a bridge to one of God’s promises. The rainbow is a sign to remind God of a promised covenant God has made with humanity. It’s not that God has a bad memory; but we humans often need a sign to remind us of God’s promises when events and situations cause us to forget them.
Such was the case in spring of 1969; Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. were gone – assassinated. Racial tensions were erupting across America. The war was raging in Vietnam. It caused singer-songwriter, Paul Simon, to dig deep for some words of solace and meaning. As he gazed out across the East River from the window of his New York apartment, He sang the opening lines he’d had for over a week. “When you’re weary / Feeling small / When tears are in your eyes / I will dry them all.” These are the opening words of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” They sound similar to many of the promises of God to humanity throughout scripture.
Our Lenten Journey should be one of connecting in a deeper spiritual way with God so that we remember God’s promises such as the one the Rainbow represents.
We celebrate Covenant’s Anniversary as 43 years of being a “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” with the promise of God’s unconditional love, forgiveness and acceptance to a community that felt excluded.
Join us for Covenant’s 43rd Anniversary and Purple Sunday; in-person, by Zoom, Facebook Livestream, or YouTube. My sermon will be “Covenant: 43 Years of Being a ‘Bridge Over Troubled Waters’” based on “Genesis 9:8-17.”
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