Lent can be a time for self-denial, the harnessing of our appetites, and a time for taking on additional spiritual disciplines like alms giving and service to others. The point is not which technique we use; the point is following Jesus through forty days of preparation to take up our cross, in order not to lose our lives but to live them even more fully.
Category: The Spire
The Spire is the monthly newsletter of the Edwards Church of Northampton church community.
The SPIRE – December 2017
You must have noticed how much can be said in a simple Christmas carol. We all have our favorites. Right now, I am thinking especially of “Away in a Manger” and the depth woven into its simplicity.
“Away in a manger no crib for his bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”
The SPIRE – November 2017
On October 25th, I attended the 1st anniversary party of the Northampton Recovery Center in the Edwards Room. For the last year, individuals currently in recovery from any form of addiction (mostly opioids or alcohol), with allies from the DA’s office and other volunteers, have used our church for organizational meetings and recovery support gatherings. They have used the sanctuary for yoga, meditation and other practices that supplement and support familiar routes of recovery. It is one of many activities through which we live into our vision: “we call on all our talents to worship and serve. Encountering the world’s joys and suffering, we offer ourselves as instruments of love and justice.”