Youth Sunday is always a special day and I am incredibly proud of our youth, particularly our seniors. St. Martin's seniors have been leaders here at the church, in their schools, and on sporting fields around the state. I am inspired by them. As our youth move on to the next adventures in their lives, I give thanks to God for their families and the community we know as St. Martin's.

Excitement always comes with stepping into the unknown. It's in moments of transition that I often pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray for its presence, that it may lead and I may follow. Transitions can be hard, but hard does not mean bad. In fact, with God's blessing, I have found most transitions in both my life and my ministry have been good. So, this week I ask for your prayers for those in our community who stand on the precipice of something new.

I find that often our Lenten practices are very solitary or inward focused. I know mine usually are. I cherish that Lenten time. But this season I'm taking on joy practices. How will I open my heart up to the joys of Easter? How will I be grateful to God for the mercies I see? What can I do to fill my soul with a sense of God's grace?

In the coming weeks, we will read about how Jesus was known to the disciples in the breaking of the bread. There is something special about sitting down and breaking bread with people. The act of breaking bread with someone deepens relationships and strengthens connections. It's holy time.

This week we step into the most solemn week of our year. It is a time of confession and redemption, a time when past sins present realities, and future hopes all come together in our hearts. Through it all, it is a time when we remember that God loves us and is always calling us home. Please know all are invited to worship and pray with us. These are among the most important days of the Christian faith, they are our story and they are our hope.

Circle of Welcome, confirmation classes, MORE Justice, campus clean ups, help for a sister congregation, Bible Studies, and more. There is a lot happening. It's great! These things are signs not only of life, but of vibrancy. It is fun to be a part of; it is fun to watch; it is good. If it's been awhile, we have programming and opportunities for everyone. Come and see what you can do. Come and see what you can be a part of.

It is my experience that the more we put into our communities, the more we get back from them. Lent is a great time to reinvest in your faith and faith community, and it is easier to do than you think. All you need to do is come and see.

In this week's Gospel, we will hear again the story of the woman at the well. It's a story of Jesus's love; it's a story of a woman's faithfulness, and it is the story of one of the first evangelists. The woman leaves Jesus and shouts: "Come and see this person who told me all about myself." Jesus never picks the most likely of candidates to share his story. When he goes into the town, he does not grab the mayor or the leading business people. He picks people like you and me.

Where is there absolute consistency in your life? What times in your day are repeated day in and day out? Could you add a moment of prayer to these times? Could you do this every time? Creating a healthy prayer life anew is something anyone can do. It's a matter of simply starting.

One common question about Lent is "Shouldn't we be doing these things all the time?" The answer to this is, of course, "Yes, we should." But life happens and intentionality around one's spiritual and emotional health can wane. Lent is a time of bringing that intentionality back.

Celebrating Mardi Gras also means that Lent is soon upon us. Lent is a time when the people of the church are asked to re-center their lives on Christ. To do this we are called to a time of penitence and forgiveness, a time of study and meditation, a time of worship and service. For me, Lent is always both a hard time and a special time. It's hard to look deeply at oneself and see places where we may be in sin. It is also liberating to acknowledge one's faults and begin to work on them. This working on one's self makes Lent a time of growth.

My favorite event of our church year is coming - our Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Potluck! I look forward to celebrating it with you all on Tuesday, Feb. 21. The reason why it is my favorite event is because members of the church decided to do Mardi Gras with an emphasis on Cajun food here during our first year in order to welcome my family, particularly the kids, from our previous home in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras is a big deal! I love the potluck because it is a reminder of how you all welcomed the Smiths into your lives. I remain grateful.

For me, the high of the parish weekend at Kanuga was quickly doused upon returning to the reality of work, school, dirty laundry, children's sports, and breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that do not cook themselves. In some ways, it was jarring. So much to do and seemingly so little time to do it. In other ways, the jarring nature of my return to reality was a nice reminder of why prayer, worship, and time with friends are so important.

We have spent an important week here at St. Martin's working with professional church consultant Chris Jillard. She helped our vestry think about the structures of our church and how we go about doing the work of the Gospel while living together in community. St. Martin's has experienced growth, which is awesome. With growth come important conversations about communication, organizational flow and welcome.

Our church's Kanuga Weekend is almost here. The dates are January 27-29. For new members, Kanuga Weekend is a time when we come together as a parish family and just unplug. Primarily our parish weekend is a time for parish members to get to know each other, and it's a time for families to bond and relax. The Bible calls times like this Sabbath.

In terms of what power is, Jesus comes not as a conquering hero, but in the form of a baby born in a manger. Instead of preaching that power is the ability to oppress the poor or weak, Jesus says "blessed are the peacemakers" and "blessed are the poor." Jesus in his ministry shows us that power does not come from who we can keep out, but from who we include. He shows us that power eats and drinks with sinners and is not afraid to be with the sick. Finally, Jesus shows us that power does not look like a Roman riding a war horse, but a carpenter riding a donkey.

I love Pageant Sunday. I love it because in it, we tap into one of the earliest forms of Christian worship. In our earliest forms of worship, Christians would act out the stories of our faith as a way of sharing and teaching them. For generations, before literacy was common, these "plays" or "pageants" were how we learned the stories of Jesus. Needless to say, I love pageants.

It's precisely in times like this that intentionally taking a moment to pray, to give thanks to God, or to ask for God's help and blessing is important. The third week of advent is the time when we are called on to focus on our technique. To breathe in the fact that we are wonderfully made and to breathe out our thanksgiving and praise... to breathe in the fact that we are wonderfully made, to breathe out our thanksgiving and praise... to breathe in the fact that we are wonderfully made, to breathe out........

Advent is a time of year that has always appealed to me. Perhaps this appeal is related to my youth and my time as an athlete. Competitions are fun, but I have always believed that results in the competition are directly related to how well you have prepared for the specific event. I have also found that the best athletes enjoy preparation as much as and perhaps more than the competition itself.