February 2024 Newsletter (Year B)
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This year, the liturgical and secular calendars intersect in quite an interesting way: Ash Wednesday is on February 14, Valentine’s Day! This happens every now and then — Ash Wednesday is what we call a “moveable feast,” dependent upon the placement of Easter rather than falling on the same calendar date each year. I have seen a flurry of social media activity in the past weeks, with churchy folks both poking fun at the strange convergence of holidays and pontificating about the possible connections between the two. One pastor photoshopped Lenten messages onto a photo of Valentine’s “conversation hearts,” those chalky heart-shaped candies that usually say things like, “B Mine” or “XOXO.” This photoshopped version showed hearts that read, “2 Dust” and “Repent!”
All jokes aside, I do love it when the liturgical calendar intersects with the secular calendar in interesting ways. When these diverse ways of marking time intertwine with one another, we may notice new things about God, ourselves, and the world. This year, I will hold particularly close the ways that our Ash Wednesday observances remind us of God’s love. While we celebrate love on Valentine’s Day, the love of Hallmark cards and conversation hearts is a mere shadow of the love of God in Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day — I love chocolate as much as the next girl! — but it does mean that this year, our celebration converges with Ash Wednesday in a way that might open us up to a new experience of the day.
Different denominations and congregations celebrate Ash Wednesday in different ways, but for many Christians across the world, we mark the day with a reminder of our mortality. We receive an ashen cross on our foreheads, and hear the words, “from dust you have come; to dust you shall return.” There is no beating around the bush on Ash Wednesday; we live in a broken and hurting world, and we will not make it out of this world alive. The good news is that God’s love goes with us, no matter what. God’s love is deep, wide, and abiding, embracing us in this life and into the next.
I hope you will tune in to Sing For Joy throughout this Lenten season for music that reminds us of God’s abiding love. Blessings to you as you move through Lent, however you and your community observe the season!
Peace be with you,
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Rev. Alexandra M. Jacob
Program Host, Sing For Joy
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Sing For Joy is supported by listeners like you. All gifts go directly towards our operating budget that makes Sing For Joy possible. To become a sustaining supporter, check the "recurring gift" option on our online giving form.
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February Playlists and Programs
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Interested in reading hymn lyrics as you listen? We recommend hymnary.org, where you can search by hymn name, composer, and more.
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Memorials and Honorariums
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Thank you for your gifts in memory and honor of those close to your heart.
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IN MEMORY OF:
Jim Braulick, my husband
Albert and Norma Eickmann
my husband Rev. John S. Erbelding
Husband
Patricia Idler
Kenneth Jennings
Audrey Johnson
BJ and Sigrid Johnson
Kyria Madany-Klein
Alice Larsen
Annette Meyer
Ruth Borge Senjem Mohn
Richard Pearson
Arthur and Erna Raap
Dr. Alvin Rueter and Dr. Ted Rueter
Robert Scholz
Rev. A. D. Tice
Jean Ellen White
IN HONOR OF:
David Arcus
Bruce Benson
Dr. Charles Echols
Nathan and Marlene Eickmann
John Ferguson
Peggy Fortner
my sister Martha Mayo
Ralph and Sonia Mills
Lyle Rich
Rev. Dr. Gary Scheidt
Mary E. Sukup
Linda Tokoi
Barbara Zippel
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To include an honorarium or memorial when you give to Sing For Joy, simply include the name(s) and occasion(s) in the comment box, as well as who should receive an acknowledgement letter and their street or email address. Due to editorial lead times, Honorariums and Memorials will appear in the Sing For Joy newsletter two months following our receipt of the gift.
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