The 13th century Sufi poet, Rumi, tells the following story about eating locally.

I'm not the liturgist today, but I have my own confession to make. When I first thought about going on the Mexico trip, I thought, Mexico in February, sign me up! Here's my chance to go someplace warm, different, with a group of fantastic people and practice my Spanish. All of this was true, but missed the essence of what the trip would be, would mean. When we were charged the Sunday before leaving to make the trip a spiritual journey as well as a physical journey, I questioned whether I should be on the trip. I'd been feeling disconnected from God and wondered if it was possible, or if I should cash in my ticket and stay home. Better that, than go and be disappointed, be unchanged.

Last week I had the privilege of traveling to the Casa San Jose orphanage in Colima, Mexico with my daughter, Sophia, and fifteen other people from First Church. This was my first-ever visit to Mexico, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was looking forward to meeting the children of the Casa, but I was afraid that my limited Spanish language skills would be a barrier to communicating and truly bonding with the children.

The main area of recreation for many of the older kids at La Casa San Jose is an outdoor basketball court, which doubles as a concrete soccer field. Just behind one of the basketball hoops is a long set of stairs which lead up to a couple of classrooms. The view from the top of these stairs is breathtaking. Two giant volcanoes boldly paint the horizon. In Spanish, these two volcanoes are called Fuego y Nieve. Fire and Snow.

I was so honored when Molly approached me about preaching during Lent. I am a double preacher’s kid – both my parents are UCC ministers and if you count my grandfather who was a Presbyterian minister I’m a triple pk. So you would think that preaching is in my blood – but other than the 1 sermon I wrote when I was 7 years old, this is the first time I have ever stood in the pulpit to preach. I hope you are as excited to hear it as I am excited to preach it.

Ash Wednesday

The Benefit and Effect of Light[http://old.firstchurchsomerville.org/community/sermons/?sermon_id=86]

Lent is almost upon us. It begins on Ash Wednesday, ten days from today, and it will last exactly 46 days, from the time you get ashes on your head to signify that we all will die, until the moment you walk into church on Easter morning and hear that Christ is risen, that death is conquered. 46 days, not 40—the Sundays of Lent are called “little Easters” and are exempt from Lenten disciplines; they are a foretaste of the joy to come.

Last week in the receiving line after worship, when I was greeting all of you, a newish person to our community had the self-possession to, very lovingly and respectfully, offer some constructive criticism. It is hard for most people to hear criticism, and I am no exception, being something of a closet perfectionist (who’s been outed on many an occasion around here). In fact, I am such a perfectionist that the way I handle criticism is to pretend that I can accept it, perfectly.