new hope, new lifeevan.chapelwood.org/pdf/2018_01_lent_echimes.pdf · even when we fail to live...

LAWYER, COOK, SUMMIT VOLUNTEERPAGE 08

EASTER SERVICESPAGE 17

LENT WEEKLY DEVOTIONALPAGE 18

SPRING AT A GLANCEPAGE 31

L E N T 2 0 1 8

NEW HOPE, NEW LIFEPAGE 06

www.chapelwood.org | www.facebook.com/chapelwood

G R E E N B A Y1 1 1 4 0 G R E E N B A Y S T .H O U S T O N , T X 7 7 0 2 4( 7 1 3 ) 4 6 5 - 3 4 6 7 Saturdays:Mercy Street - 5:30 p.m., Fellowship Hall*Sundays:Blended Service - 8:25 a.m., Sanctuary* Contemplative Service - 8:45 a.m., Chapel*Contemporary Service - 9:45 a.m., Sanctuary*Traditional Service - 11:10 a.m., Sanctuary*Upper Room - 11:30 a.m., Upper Room** Services are broadcast live on the web.

F A I R H A V E N + T H E B R A N C H1 3 3 0 G E S S N E R R D .H O U S T O N , T X 7 7 0 5 5F A I R H A V E N : ( 7 1 3 ) 4 6 8 - 3 2 7 69:30 a.m. Fair Haven community worship, Fellowship Hall10:30 a.m. Classes for adults, youth, and children11:15 a.m. Fair Haven community worship, Sanctuary T H E B R A N C H : ( 7 1 3 ) 8 9 5 - 8 3 0 0 11:15 a.m. The Branch community worship, Fellowship Hall (English and español)

H O L Y F A M I L Y2 0 0 5 C O M M E R C E S T .Sunday Liturgy, 10:30 a.m.

C H A P E L W O O D C A M P U S L O C A T I O N S& S E R V I C E T I M E S

0 4 M E S S A G E F R O M J O H N From Our Senior Pastor

0 6 N E W H O P E , N E W L I F E By Megan Strickland

0 8 J O H N R A M S E Y : L A W Y E R , C O O K , S U M M I T V O L U N T E E R

1 0 P U L L I N G O U T A L L T H E S T O P S : C H A P E L W O O D ’ s S A N C T U A R Y O R G A N By Allison Carter

1 3 R E V E A L By Bob Johnson

1 4 T O N Y E V A N S Coming to Chapelwood in March

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0 4

At Chapelwood, we are a community of communities, providing worship experiences of many kinds. Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by embodying God’s grace as we receive it to those who need it.

CHIMES LENT / TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 5 S I M P L E S P I R I T U A L P R A C T I C E : R E S T I N G T O R E S T By Melissa Maher

1 5 O N E N E W C A M P U S , T W O W O R S H I P C O M M U N I T I E S Fair Haven Campus welcomes The Branch worship community

1 6 L E N T S C H E D U L E Everything Lent

1 8 L E N T D E V O T I O N A L By Jerry Webber

2 6 L E N T W I T H Y O U R F A M I L Y By LM Wilson

2 6 S P R I N G T H I N G M A R K E T February 27 - March 1

2 7 E A S T E R E G G H U N T March 31

2 7 S T E W A R D S H I P O F G I F T S 2 0 1 8

2 8 N E W M E M B E R S

3 0 J o y s & C O N C E R N S Baptisms, Births, and Weddings;

Sympathy

3 1 S P R I N G A T A G L A N C E

3 2 L E N T S E R M O N S E R I E S

1 0 1 8

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CHIMES LENT/ MESSAGE FROM JOHN

Message from JohnThe season of Lent begins February 14 with Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday, April 1. More than a time to prepare for Resurrection and Easter, the Church has traditionally seen Lent as a period for introspection, repentance and recommitment. The typical themes for Lent invite us to examine our lives, to be honest with God (and with ourselves!), and to stretch a little deeper into our life with God and our lives with one another.

During Lent, our worship communities will focus on COVENANT. While each community will share covenant as best fits their context, a common thread will run through all of them – the idea of covenant as an unbreakable bond between God and God’s children. Most of us think of a covenant as a kind of contract. We all know contracts in our culture. Contracts are legal documents we use to borrow money, rent an apartment, or buy a car. Contracts are built on distrust, protecting us from liability if the other party doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain. The problem is that healthy human relationships are built on trust, not on distrust. Trust only becomes possible when we willfully and lovingly yield all authority and power and make ourselves vulnerable.

From the very beginning, God’s agreement has been rooted in covenant. Even when we fail to live into the relationship God created, God’s commitment to us never wavers. God chose to be bound together with us. Imperfection is understood. But love and grace endure. This is a radical message in our day.

During the season of Lent, we will use this focus on covenant to refocus our lives around Christian discipleship. It is in the day-to-day connections and interactions with families, friends, and co-workers that we can begin to see what God intended for us. As we open ourselves in relationships with one another, we find our greatest joy and greatest potential heartache. Intimacy and vulnerability go hand in hand. God’s vision for us is to live together in authentic Christian community – in our friendships, with family, in marriage, parenting, grandparenting, etc. Family is a broad term for us Christians…God’s family extends to all the relationships of our lives that draw us to love God and one another more deeply.

How does a better understanding of covenant help us become better followers of Christ? I believe that moving from relationships rooted in distrust to relationships rooted in trust will transform the ways we worship, learn, and serve.

This series will also introduce some new tools for discipleship for you, your family, and friends. At Chapelwood, we want to provide the resources that will help you both grow in your faith and connect you to life-giving groups where you can experience transformation through God’s power. We will offer tools and resources each week for you to “go deeper” into the topics discussed. We will also offer a variety of small groups where you can put these teachings into practice in your marriage, parenting, friendships, work relationships, and all other areas of your life.

CHIMES LENT / MESSAGE FROM JOHN

I hope you will join us on this journey. No matter the worship community you participate in, be prepared to hear powerful messages and practical applications to your everyday life. God’s vision is that we discover our unique place in this world that helps God’s kingdom become a reality.

What else is happening across Chapelwood?• In our Sanctuary community on our Greenbay campus, we are looking to invest more heavily in Christian discipleship. We will open doors for growing deeper in our faith for all parts of our Chapelwood family. • Our Holy Family community is now worshipping every week together and is experiencing its second baptism celebration on Easter Sunday.• In 2018, The Branch will begin to move their ministry to the Fair Haven campus on Gessner Road. The Branch worship will combine with Fair Haven’s Spanish speaking worship service, Congregación Hispana, to create a united bilingual service. Pastors Luis Palomo and Jairo Ortiz are collaborating to bring the communities together in a powerful and meaningful way. • Mercy Street will focus on restorative justice “Beyond the Sentence” in 2018 as they continue to grow their dynamic ministry.• Jerry Webber, pastor of our Contemplative community, will be moving to Arkansas in early 2018. We will begin the process of

searching for a new community pastor soon. Be in prayer!• Fair Haven is doing well, and God is moving in new ways! In 2018, the expansion of ministry focused on children and youth will be an important focus as we seek to impact our Spring Branch community.• Upper Room is prayerfully discerning God’s next steps for their amazing ministry. One of the big questions they are asking is, “How is God opening doors to allow us to reach a multi-cultural, diverse community of faith in new ways to impact our community?”

John Stephens

Walter survived two of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast – and now he’s looking for a second chance. A Louisiana native, Walter rode out Hurricane Katrina in his home state. But after losing his house in the storm and burying three family members, he fell into a deep depression.

Walter moved to Fort Worth hoping for a fresh start, but before he knew it, he was out of work and living on the streets.

“You have to be willing to try. But I didn’t have any motivation,” Walter said. “I got adapted to what was going on, and I didn’t want to budge.”

After a grueling decade of homeless life, Smith had an epiphany. “I said, ‘I’m better than this,’ and I went to school.” He completed job-training classes and gained a renewed sense of confidence. That’s when he decided to move to Houston to find work on the Ship Channel.

But before he could establish roots in the Bayou City, he found himself treading water again – this time in the floodwaters of Harvey. “It was like a roller coaster ride. Every time I’d try to go up, I’d go down further,” he said.

PAGE 06 CHIMES LENT / NEW HOPE, NEW LIFE

New Hope, New Lifeby Megan Strickland

But someone stepped in and gave Walter a life raft in the midst of the storm. He now has a place to live, thanks to New Hope Housing – one of the many charities supported by the UMW Spring Thing Market.

Houston, like many sprawling cities, has a housing problem. Our town needs about 185,000 affordable housing units. Studies estimate every night close to 3,600 people sleep on our streets or in shelters. That meant that once Harvey’s floodwaters receded, Mayor Sylvester Turner had a problem on his hands. Many people staying at the George R. Brown simply had nowhere else to go. That’s when the mayor asked New Hope to step up to the plate.

New Hope converted an old downtown shelter into temporary housing for people displaced by the hurricane, giving people like Walter a solid foundation again.

Here he is getting his life back together with a place to stay, hot meals and – more importantly – a case manager.

New Hope staff members walk alongside residents as they deal with things like mental illness, addiction, and other chronic health

conditions. So, someone like Walter won’t just get a warm bed; he will get things like medical help, job counseling, and long-term solutions for what

seem like impossible problems. For Walter, his Christian faith has been one of the only

constants in his life. “He carried me when I couldn’t walk. When my motivation was gone, He was my strength.” Through New Hope – God is giving Walter that second chance.

CHIMES LENT / NEW HOPE, NEW LIFE PAGE 07

He carried me when I couldn’t walk. When my motivation was gone, He was my strength.

John Ramsey and his wife Kristen have been Chapelwood members for six years. John is a trial attorney and three-year Summit volunteer. They have four children: Preston, Riley, Jack, and Avery.

The way I originally got involved with Summit is a funny story. I used to run restaurants before I became a lawyer, and word got out through my lovely bride, who is on the Summit Administration Team, that Summit needed additional cooks. I said, “I used to run restaurants, I can do that.” So, I signed up to be a cook, but the next thing you know they were short on work team leaders, and they assigned me to a work team with four kids. Our job: to go build a wheelchair ramp.

Now anyone who knows me knows that’s NOT something I knew how to do. I didn’t do things like construction with my dad when we were younger – we cooked together, instead. I don’t play with power tools; I don’t build things. I was a cook, and now I’m a lawyer. Power tools and I don’t really get along. And like me, a lot of people think about Summit and wonder, “Can I do this? Is this something that’s going to be beyond my comfort zone?” The answer is that it might be, but volunteers also need to understand that they’re not left alone. You’ll get the support you need. Even if you’re not qualified to build a wheelchair ramp, it shouldn’t prevent you from going and experiencing Summit as a team leader. You’ve got pack team adults and special ops guys that literally say, “Take that piece of wood and that piece of wood and build me a four by four box and I’ll be back in two hours.” All of the help that’s there that’s available gets you through the week, and you’d

PAGE 08 CHIMES LENT / JOHN RAMSEY

John Ramsey: Lawyer, Cook, Summit Volunteer

be amazed at how easy it is to do landscaping, to paint a house, to patch a roof, or even to build a wheelchair ramp. So if you feel like you’re not qualified to do this, don’t, because you’re not alone. There’s an army of people there to help you get through it.

At Summit we see people who need a lot of help. They struggle to eat. Their roof leaks. They have holes in their floor, and sometimes they have steps in front of their home they can’t even use because of a physical disability. The most significant aspect for each of our three clients over the past three summers was that every single day each of them received a meal around lunchtime from Meals on Wheels, which was the only meal they had every day. It was an eye-opener for my team and me. So, being able to provide some assistance to them in any way we can, with healthy, young, strong high school and middle school age kids, is uplifting. After that week is over, we remember those folks, and so we never take for granted the things we have.

One of the most rewarding experiences that I can remember from Summit happened the first year I went. One of our team members decided that we needed to put a scripture verse on the wheelchair ramp when we were done. So on Thursday we took a Sharpie and wrote from John 14:27 on the side of the ramp:

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”

We all signed it, and we sealed it on the side of the wheelchair ramp to protect it from the elements. I love the fact that that’s going to be there for a really long time, and when that client is having a bad day or wants to reminisce or have positive memories of what we did for her, all she has to do is go out to the side of her wheelchair ramp and there it is.

My family loves the fact that I’m involved in Summit. I have four children: my oldest is a freshman, my middle son is a seventh-grader, and my youngest twins are sixth-graders. My

two oldest love the fact that Mom and Dad are there helping, and the twins are looking forward to going next year because they’ve heard so much about it from the others.

At Summit, adult volunteers get the opportunity to fulfill two goals at one time. The first is to help someone who is in dire need, and the second is to see three hundred kids grow spiritually, maturity-wise, and on so many different levels – a growth opportunity they would have missed if they weren’t there. The volunteers aren’t all parents, either. There’s a ton of adults there each year without their kids. Their kids are all off in college and married, and they still come back every year to volunteer. It’s really uplifting to see that. Would I go back if my kids weren’t there? The answer is “Absolutely yes.”

I can tell you that Summit is one of the best weeks of my life, and that’s why I’ve gone back three years in a row and why I will be there this June.

CHIMES LENT / JOHN RAMSEY PAGE 09

John Ramsey: Lawyer, Cook, Summit Volunteer

I can tell you that Summit is one of the best weeks of my life...

CHIMES LENT / SANCTUARY ORGAN

Pulling Out All the Stops: Chapelwood’s Sanctuary Organ

by Allison Carter

The morning of November 9, a large white truck slowly made the turn from Greenbay into Chapelwood’s west parking lot, easing just past the main Sanctuary doors before pulling gently to a stop. While its trip began in Macungie, Pennsylvania, earlier that week, the full journey of the organ console it carried began more than a year before, one morning in the fall of 2016.


The history of Chapelwood’s Sanctuary organ began long before 2016. In 1971, Chapelwood installed a 41 rank Moller pipe organ. The console was a four manual (meaning four keyboard) console built to American Guild of Organists (AGO) specifications with a pneumatic/mechanical capture

system. By the mid-1980s the inner workings of the console had been overhauled, and the Moller Pipe Organ Company added 18 ranks of pipes. Austin Organ Company added a new four manual console to the organ in 1990 with additions by Walker, and the chancel area was expanded with console placement in the center of the choir loft. In 2000, the Reuter Organ Company of Lawrence, Kansas completed some extensive pipe replacement, including the entire Great Division, Swell Reeds, Swell Mixtures and Trompette en Chamade. In 2006, Reuter changed out all of the Great pipes.

However, as it does with any large and complicated piece of equipment, time takes its toll. By the summer of 2016, a wind leak had developed. A bit later that year, a set of stops ceased to function, revealing the cause of some other intermittent problems: rats chewing through the clad cloth wiring.

Then, the week after All Saints in 2016, Chapelwood’s organist Cameron Cody was practicing in the Sanctuary when loud crackling and a shower of sparks came from the pipes above. It was just a “spark fire” – not open flames – but the burned wire throughout

meant the organ was unsafe to turn on until the destroyed wiring and switches were replaced, and other damaged parts were repaired.

But the 1980s were a long time ago, and parts for the system that operated the console were no longer manufactured. The organ console had served a good life and was right at the end of its projected lifespan, and so the decision was made to replace it.

Cameron Cody was tasked with the job of developing the specifications for the new console. With his experience playing organs all over the world, he was in a good position to identify the best features of all of them and design a console that would best meet all of Chapelwood’s widely varying worship needs. Craig Gilbert, Susan Hall, and Bob Lindsey joined the discussion making sure the wood and stain chosen would fit in the Sanctuary. The Allen Organ Company was chosen to build the console and install the additions. Allen is the world leader in digital organs and console construction, and fortunately, they were also the best with regard to cost. This organ is guaranteed to last over sixty years.


How does the new organ differ from our old one? First, the new console has a fifth manual, or keyboard. It sits at the very top of the console, and plays a new string division. Second, the console sits on a custom platform and so is now much more movable – a benefit for concerts and performances where greater visibility is desired. Third, the antiphonal section of the organ located at the back of the Sanctuary balcony has been expanded. Along with the new string division mentioned above, it has a full principal chorus with pedal and a festival trumpet. This will dramatically change the balcony worship experience when it’s used – as we will now have the equivalent of a full organ in the balcony. Last, and most certainly not least, are all the digital extensions – Chapelwood is doubling its ranks of pipes from 80 to 160. That means roughly 10,000 pipes – both digital and physical. Digital extensions are recordings of live pipe organs sampled, in this case, from pipes in many of the largest and grandest pipe organs in existence. When those notes are played here, the sounds reverberating through the Sanctuary are the exact sounds generated by those other distinctive pipe organs. Perhaps most importantly, the organ now has the capability to produce the sound of any kind of contemporary music, ranging from the organ sounds heard in hard rock concerts, to ballpark organs, to electronic pianos, even replicating sounds not ordinarily associated with traditional church worship, such as rain showers, bird tweets, blow bottles, harmonicas, and much, much more. As Cameron says, “It’s hard to describe because there is just so much.”

But it’s not just about installing new components – it’s also about maintaining what we have. As none of Chapelwood’s

organ pipes have had any work performed on them since their original installation, there is a clear need for some loving attention. While organ pipes need less maintenance than do organ consoles, some of our pipes are almost fifty years old, and will benefit from a “check-up.”

Coincidentally, the Fair Haven Sanctuary organ is being replaced at the same time as is the Sanctuary organ on Greenbay. The Fair Haven organ is a smaller “sister” organ – it is laid out the same way, it is the same color – it even has a festival trumpet. One benefit – an organist familiar with one organ would find it relatively easy to shift to the other, should the need ever arise.

Sunday, December 3, saw the new organ played for the first time in worship, and later in December, Carols and Keyboards and The Festival of Sacred Songs provided more opportunities for showing off its greater capacity. Chapelwood kicks off an annual organ series in 2018: February, April, and September will see three organ dedication concerts (stay tuned for details). The AGO can host events here, as well, as this organ is one of the most magnificent in the city.

* * * *

From a shower of sparks during a practice session to the glorious sounds heard now in worship and concert – all the evaluations, decisions, collaboration, and waiting have brought us one of the finest, if not the finest pipe organ in Houston. Many thanks to the Allen Organ Company and Chapelwood’s music staff, and most of all a sincere thanks to Chapelwood’s congregation for its ongoing support of worship and music.

Lent is the season of the Christian year when many of us consciously focus our attention on our growth as disciples of Jesus Christ. As Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness preparing for his life’s mission, so we spend the 40 days of Lent focusing on our life’s mission of becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, people who embody God’s grace to transform the world.

We describe a disciple as a person on a journey to a deepening connection with God as revealed in Jesus Christ, a journey that makes a difference in how we are with God, others, self, and Creation. The key concepts are 1) discipleship is a JOURNEY, 2) it makes a DIFFERENCE in our lives and our world, 3) a difference in FOUR KEY RELATIONSHIPS – with God, others, self, and creation.

Discipleship is a journey with a specific goal. It doesn’t happen automatically or in a moment. It is not a class we take or an event we attend. It is not even a sermon series or Lenten devotional in which we participate.

Not long ago, the Chapelwood Sanctuary and UR worship communities participated in the REVEAL: Spiritual Life Assessment. Over 400 people participated. The survey contained statements about how we live our lives and asked to what degree people agreed or disagreed. The table below shows the percentage of people in the Sanctuary worship community who agreed with a sampling of ten of these statements. Notice how the percentage of people who agree with each statement increases as people move along the discipleship continuum from EXPLORING CHRIST, to GROWING IN CHRIST, to CLOSE TO CHRIST, and finally to ABIDE IN CHRIST:

CHIMES LENT / REVEAL SURVEY PAGE 13

by Bob Johnson

Percentage who agree Exploring Growing Close to Abide in

“I believe God is actively involved in my life.” 12 42 71 87

“God calls me to be involved in the lives of the poor and suffering.”

8 27 52 65

“I believe we are created in the image of God and therefore have equal value, regardless of race,

religion, or gender.”44 57 75 93

“I believe a Christian should lead a sacrificial life that is not driven by the pursuit of material

things.”0 12 29 48

“I reflect on Scripture daily.” 4 7 25 54

“I pray to seek God’s guidance daily.” 8 31 64 85

“I give away my time to serve and help others in my community.”

12 11 29 41

“God’s grace enables me to forgive people who have hurt me.”

16 24 51 67

“I have inner joy and contentment, even when things go wrong.”

8 11 30 24

“When I am in a crisis, I find hope in my faith in God.”

8 27 57 74

This chart, based on the lives of REAL people in the Chapelwood Sanctuary community, reveals how discipleship growth makes a REAL DIFFERENCE in people’s lives. I am particularly struck by how growth as a disciple enables people to increasingly offer forgiveness and to find hope in crisis. Since discipleship growth makes such a difference, won’t you intentionally journey with us this Lenten season?

Questions: Donna Lowe, [email protected]

KINGDOM MARRIAGE

To purchase your tickets go to www.chapelwood.org/tony.Limited seating.

http://www.chapelwood.org/tony/

CHIMES LENT / SIMPLE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE + FAIR HAVEN CAMPUS

Sabbath rest has become a practice for the few. You know, those who have the time and don’t have the unceasing responsibilities of work deadlines, children’s activities, caring for elderly parents, class assignments, or home repairs.

But maybe we struggle to rest because we fear questions that come to the surface:• Will others jump the corporate ladder ahead of me? • Who will care for my children or my aging parent?• Where do I go for rest? I’m always surrounded by people or

my anxious thoughts.• What if I become still and the basement of my life creeps up

the stairs?

We need rest to help us find our roots, our grounding in a place deeper than our posturing, our performing, and our persistent fears.

Psalm 1“. . . like trees planted by streams of water . . .”Let’s practice being planted by streams of living water. Take

one hour this coming week. Turn off your phone. Find a quiet place. Maybe it’s your backyard, a coffee shop, sitting in your car, going to a park. Find a place that can help you set aside the time to rest and listen. For some of us this will feel a bit disorienting. We take days off from work, but we don’t fully rest.

If you need some help in what to do during that hour, read on!

Spend five minutes in a breath prayer. Choose a word such as peace, hope, love, mercy, or joy, and offer that as your prayer word to God. As you exhale, “O Lord bring to me” and as you inhale “Your peace. Your joy. Your hope.” Each time your thoughts wander, return to the word. Imagine Jesus sitting with you also whispering the word.

For 30 minutes, do what helps you rest and be still. Journal, doodle with pen and paper, people watch. Each activity is has no purpose other than offering it as a prayer to connect with God. When journaling, write a creative story. Start with a memory which brings you joy. When doodling, draw an image of what gives you life or brings you joy. When people watching, imagine each person as a unique expression of God’s design.

For the remaining 25 minutes, rest. Close your eyes. Nap. Listen to music. Do nothing.

Rest helps us remember we are not in control of anyone or anything. The world continues on without our participation – AND – we find a renewed hope in how we are uniquely called to engage in the world.

May your roots go deep in life-giving waters.

Simple Spiritual Practice“Resting to Rest”

by Melissa Maher

This spring The Branch will begin to move operations and worship to the Fair Haven campus on Gessner Road. The Branch worship will combine with Fair Haven’s Spanish speaking worship service to create a united bilingual service. Pastors Luis Palomo and Jairo Ortiz are collaborating to bring the communities together in a powerful and meaningful way.

One New Campus, Two Worship CommunitiesFair Haven Campus welcomes The Branch worship community

+

10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. HOLY WEEK DAYS OF PRAYER, Greenbay Anchor House

12:00 p.m. CONCERT WITH TRUMPET AND ORGAN with DeuxVoix, Greenbay Sanctuary, followed by a brown bag lunch in the Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m. HOLY FAMILY GOOD FRIDAY WORSHIP, The Space

7:00 p.m. THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF CHRIST, performed by the Chapelwood Chancel Choir, Greenbay Sanctuary

THE BRANCH GOOD FRIDAY WORSHIP SERVICE, www.thebranchhouston.org

G O O D F R I D A Y , M A R C H

11:00 a.m. GREENBAY CAMPUS FAMILY EASTER EGG HUNT, Greenbay East Field

12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room

5:30 p.m. MERCY STREET EASTER SERVICE, Greenbay Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m. HOLY FAMILY EASTER VIGIL, The Space

7:00 a.m. FAIR HAVEN AND SPRING BRANCH AREA CHURCHES JOINT SUNRISE SERVICE, Spring Valley Village Park, 1025 Campbell Rd. 9:30 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE, Fair Haven Fellowship Hall10:30 a.m. EASTER EGG HUNT, Fair Haven Campus11:15 a.m. THE BRANCH AND FAIR HAVEN WORSHIP SERVICE, Fair Haven Sanctuary

7:00 a.m. SUNRISE WORSHIP*, Greenbay Chapel Courtyard8:25 a.m. BLENDED WORSHIP*, Greenbay Sanctuary8:45 a.m. CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP*, Greenbay Chapel9:45 a.m. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP WITH WAYNE WATSON*, Greenbay Sanctuary9:45 a.m. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP WITH JAMES KELLY AND JOE MISHLER (coffee and donuts)*, Greenbay Fellowship Hall11:10 a.m. TRADITIONAL WORSHIP*, Greenbay Sanctuary11:30 a.m. UPPER ROOM WORSHIP*, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room*There will be no morning Sunday School classes for adults, students, and children over age 2.

30 H O L Y S A T U R D A Y ,M A R C H 31 E A S T E R S U N D A Y , A P R I L



12:00 p.m. CONCERT WITH HARP AND ORGAN with Joanna Whitsett and Cameron Cody, Greenbay Sanctuary, followed by a brown bag lunch in the Fellowship Hall

T U E S D A Y ,M A R C H 27

7:00 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH REV. TAMMY HEINRICH, Greenbay Chapel

12:00 p.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH DR. JERRY WEBBER, Greenbay Chapel

6:30 p.m. HOLY FAMILY WORSHIP, The Space

7:00 p.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH DR. JOHN STEPHENS AND THE CHANCEL CHOIR, Greenbay Sanctuary

THE BRANCH AND FAIR HAVEN EVENING SERVICE, Fair Haven Sanctuary, www.thebranchhouston.org

A S H W E D N E S D A Y ,F E B R U A R Y 14

www.chapelwood.org/lent

7:00 a.m. FAIR HAVEN AND SPRING BRANCH AREA CHURCHES JOINT SUNRISE SERVICE, Spring Valley Village Park, 1025 Campbell Rd. 9:30 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE, Fair Haven Fellowship Hall10:30 a.m. EASTER EGG HUNT, Fair Haven Campus11:15 a.m. THE BRANCH AND FAIR HAVEN WORSHIP SERVICE, Fair Haven Sanctuary

7:00 a.m. SUNRISE WORSHIP*, Greenbay Chapel Courtyard8:25 a.m. BLENDED WORSHIP*, Greenbay Sanctuary8:45 a.m. CONTEMPLATIVE WORSHIP*, Greenbay Chapel9:45 a.m. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP WITH WAYNE WATSON*, Greenbay Sanctuary9:45 a.m. CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP WITH JAMES KELLY AND JOE MISHLER (coffee and donuts)*, Greenbay Fellowship Hall11:10 a.m. TRADITIONAL WORSHIP*, Greenbay Sanctuary11:30 a.m. UPPER ROOM WORSHIP*, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room*There will be no morning Sunday School classes for adults, students, and children over age 2.

GREENBAY CAMPUS11140 Greenbay St.

FAIR HAVEN CAMPUS1330 Gessner Rd.

HOLY FAMILY CAMPUSThe Space, 2005 Commerce St.

GREENBAY CAMPUS11140 Greenbay St.

FAIR HAVEN CAMPUS1330 Gessner Rd.

HOLY FAMILY CAMPUSThe Space, 2005 Commerce St.

E A S T E R S U N D A Y , A P R I L 1

10:00 a.m .– 8:00 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room


12:00 p.m. CONCERT WITH ORGAN AND OBOE with Joseph Painter and Grace Tice, Greenbay Sanctuary, followed by a brown bag lunch in the Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m. SPOKEN WORD SERVICE, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room

W E D N E S D A Y , M A R C H



12:00 p.m. CONCERT WITH ORGAN AND PIANO with Daniel J. Fenn and Cameron Cody, Greenbay Sanctuary, followed by a brown bag lunch in the Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m. COMBINED WORSHIP FOR GREENBAY AND FAIR HAVEN CAMPUSES, Fair Haven Fellowship Hall


M A U N D Y T H U R S D A Y , M A R C H28 29

7:00 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH REV. TAMMY HEINRICH, Greenbay Chapel

12:00 p.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH DR. JERRY WEBBER, Greenbay Chapel


7:00 p.m. WORSHIP SERVICE WITH DR. JOHN STEPHENS AND THE CHANCEL CHOIR, Greenbay Sanctuary

THE BRANCH AND FAIR HAVEN EVENING SERVICE, Fair Haven Sanctuary, www.thebranchhouston.org

A S H W E D N E S D A Y ,F E B R U A R Y

Worship communities follow regular worship service schedules.

5:00 – 8:00 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room

P A L M S U N D A Y ,M A R C H

10:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. STATIONS OF THE CROSS, Greenbay Youth Building, Upper Room

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. HOLY WEEK DAYS OF PRAYER, Greenbay Anchor House

12:00 p.m. CONCERT WITH ORGAN AND PIANO with Peter Johns, James Kelly, and Diana Montgomery, Greenbay Sanctuary, followed by a brown bag lunch in the Fellowship Hall

M O N D A Y , M A R C H14 25 26

CHIMES LENT / LENT DEVOTIONAL

INNER LANDSCAPE ASH WEDNESDAY – FEBRUARY 14, 2018

DAILY READING: Matthew 6:1–6FOCUS PASSAGE: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matt. 6:5 – 6)

Jesus recognized our tendency to perform religious acts in order to receive a reward.It is easy enough to attend worship, engage in prayer, serve at the shelter, or give time in our favorite

ministry, hoping someone will notice. Or we may hope secretly that some benefit will be given to us, or that some storehouse of blessing will open to us because of our faithful practice. In Jesus’ teaching, the “trumpets” and “street corners” symbolize spiritual practices we undertake in order to receive an external reward.

Who among us is not concerned with how we look before others? We guard our reputations and fret over what people think about us. We go to great lengths to watch over the opinion others have of us, even subtly manipulating those impressions when we are able.

Spiritually speaking, this kind of external focus is not helpful. Here at the outset of Lent, a season of honest reflection and cleansing, we can call this stance what it is: a shaky foundation. A life focused externally will not hold true. It will not stand up in the storms of life.

Instead, Jesus used another term for an inward focus: the “secret room” or the “hidden room.” This was Jesus’ language for the inner landscape of a person, the more soulful interiority which is at our core.

He invites us to grapple with the nuances of life inwardly, going into our “room and closing the door,” in order to offer a healing, freeing presence in the outer world. God is closer to us than our next breath. We’ll have difficulty noticing God in the outer world if we’ve never found God alive and stirring in our inner world.

On Ash Wednesday we receive ashes crossed onto our foreheads and hear these words: “Remember, from dust you have come and to dust you shall return.”

We remember the “inner room,” so we don’t need to blow “trumpets” on “street corners.”We remember that we are more than what we do and the things we accomplish. We remember who we are so that the traps of busyness and distraction do not hijack our lives. We remember that we are not our image. We are not our successes or our failures. We remember the One who shapes and gives life. We remember that our existence on earth is not forever; thus, in our limited time we had best live fully

the one wild and precious life that we have. Ash Wednesday shapes the rest of Lent. It gives perspective and provides framework for the days

ahead. We are invited today – and then throughout Lent – to give attention to our inner room. We are invited to remember who we are and then live fully into our identity.

PAGE 18

The Lent Weekly Devotional is written by Jerry Webber, Community Pastor, The Center for Christian Spirituality/Contemplative Worship.

TEMPTATION THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT – WEEK OF FEBRUARY 18, 2018

DAILY READING: Luke 4:1–13FOCUS PASSAGE: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. (Lk. 4:1–2)

This is a core Lenten reading. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, hearing God say, “You are my son, my beloved, the one who delights me.” In that water, his core identity was confirmed, pressed deeply into his soul. Immediately from those waters, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert, where he fasted for 40 days and was tempted by Satan.

Matthew says more about fasting in his version of this story (Matt. 4:1–11), while Luke gives attention to the leadership of God’s Spirit and to the temptations themselves. Both accounts shape the Lenten season, where we take a 40-day walk with Jesus that involves fasting, self-denial, and inner cleansing.

Fasting involves abstaining from something that is part of our normal life. Whether we refrain from food, conversation, or company, fasting is often accompanied by temptation of some kind. When hungry (for food, talk, or companionship), we are vulnerable and more susceptible to subtle compromises.

Satan (the name means “adversary” or “accuser”) tempted Jesus in three different ways. This period of fasting and temptation came immediately after Jesus’ baptism. His baptism confirmed his identity. It stamped Jesus with the mark of God, which he would live into the rest of his life. For the rest of Jesus’ life, he lived as a fully developed human (Son of Man) and in complete oneness with the Father (Son of God).

The temptations, on the other hand, were lures – at moments of weakness, after fasting – for Jesus to turn aside from his core identity. He was tempted to trade in his most authentic self for some alternative way of doing life. He steadfastly refused to do so.

You and I face the same temptation every day, and we make the trade frequently. We often choose for safety, prestige, or accomplishment to the detriment of our truest self. We choose wealth, judgment, and idolatry over God.

We do not necessarily trade for something evil or overtly destructive, but we are tempted away from the very thing that would give us life and free us to live transformed lives in the world.

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus would not make that trade. He stayed true to his God-given, God-created identity.

Through Lent, it might be a helpful spiritual discipline to notice how often you are tempted to make that trade in a 24-hour period. In doing so, you might have a clearer sense how deeply Jesus was connected to God.

CHIMES LENT / LENT DEVOTIONAL PAGE 19

WAKING UP THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT – WEEK OF FEBRUARY 25, 2018

DAILY READING: Luke 9:28 – 36FOCUS PASSAGE: Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. (Lk. 9:32)

Eastern Orthodox Christians value this story of Jesus’ transfiguration, noting its central place in the gospel narratives. You can make the case that the first half of Jesus’ ministry was spent headed toward this mountain, where he “went up” with Peter, John, and James. When he came down the mountain, he began the deliberate move toward Jerusalem, betrayal, trial, and crucifixion.

My own spirituality has been shaped by an understanding of the story that comes from the Eastern Orthodox tradition.

That interpretation of the transfiguration says that the real miracle in the story is not that Jesus’ appearance changed and that his clothes became bright; rather, the real miracle in this story is that the disciples “became fully awake” and saw Jesus – finally! – as he really was. For a moment, their eyes were opened to see him as he was all the time.

“When they became fully awake, they saw his glory.” When the disciples woke up, they didn’t see Jesus as they had seen him previously. They saw Jesus’ glory, humanity, divinity, and essence.

In other words, the disciples finally glimpsed the inner light that illumined his life 24/7. Previously, though, they had missed it. They had slept through it.

The “sleep” of the disciples, therefore, becomes a metaphor for spiritual drowsiness. It speaks to our inattentiveness, the way we sleep-walk through life, dull and unaware of the things around us and within us that are most real.

Disciples, the very inner circle of Jesus, could live and walk and eat with Jesus, giving him their very lives, and after all those months and years still not notice what was most real about him.

According to the story, Orthodox Christians claim, the spiritual life is about waking up, about seeing what is real, seeing what is at the heart of life, seeing to the inner essence of things, people, and events. We see Jesus in ourselves, in others, and in the created world. We see Jesus “as he is.”

We are all asleep to some degree. The Gospel invites us to wake up, so that the blind see, the lame walk, the lost are found, and the wounded are healed.

We are invited to a deeper level of spiritual awareness, a God-consciousness that transforms our lives and in the process transforms the world.

CHIMES LENT / LENT DEVOTIONALPAGE 20

MERCY THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT – WEEK OF MARCH 4, 2018

DAILY READING: Matthew 18:21–35FOCUS PASSAGE: Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive someone who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matt. 18:21–22)

Often in the Gospels people asked Jesus a question out of a particular personal motivation, only to find that Jesus didn’t answer their question. Rather, he raised new questions, or redirected their question to that which was relevant to the kingdom of God.

Peter asked a question about forgiveness. “How many times should I forgive another? Seven times?” It was a generous question. Most of us don’t get past three.

But there was an unspoken part of Peter’s question: “How many times should I forgive someone else before I take matters into my own hands?” Peter’s background in Jewish law restrained him from excessive retaliation, limiting vengeance to “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Without such limits, violence escalates and even small matters are punished excessively. Peter simply wanted to know the cut-off point, the line beyond which he could take matters into his own hands.

Jesus’ answer was aimed at Peter’s desire to retaliate and to know how much patience he was required to have with another. By playing off Peter’s use of “seven times,” Jesus extended forgiveness infinitely. In other words, there is no point at which you run out of forgiveness and begin retaliating. Forgiveness is boundless.

Then Jesus told a story about the economy of the kingdom of heaven. The story was about mercy received, mercy given, and mercy hoarded.

What does it mean to live life in a state of mercy, that is, where we receive mercy and give mercy in a never-ending flow? In the story, the first servant received generous mercy, but then refused to extend mercy to another. The end of the story shocks our sensibilities a bit, as it sounds like mercy can be withdrawn if it is not shared.

Think of it this way: mercy is not extended to us simply for our own benefit. Mercy is to be extended to all, through all. But when the flow of mercy stops in the life of someone who hoards mercy or who is only interested in accumulating mercy for his own personal well-being, then mercy dries up. It no longer carries transformative power. It becomes a private possession, not a world-transforming grace.

God has no desire that we collect forgiveness and mercy and then hoard it for ourselves. With God there is abundance, a continual flow, so that what we give away is always replenished.

As humans, we may never be more like God than when we live in this free-flow of mercy and forgiveness, and when we do so without measuring, giving generously and gratuitously.

There is humility within this divine rhythm, where we recognize our need for mercy and thus receive it with open hands. Then in our humility, we extend mercy to others for the transformation of the world, refusing to judge others, but doling out generous helpings of healing mercy to those living under heavy weights.

Both receiving and giving away mercy are divine disciplines for the Lenten season.


EMPTINESS THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT – WEEK OF MARCH 11, 2018

DAILY READING: Luke 15:1–3; 11–32FOCUS PASSAGE: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” (Lk. 15:11–20)

This parable illumines itself. We need little prompting to identify with the characters in the story. Luke included the parable as the final part of a trilogy about lost things. We might ask this question: “Who is lost in this story?” Several threads of lostness are woven into the account.

I’m not so interested in following that track today, though. I’m thinking of the younger son and his desire to leave home, to “spend” what he had away from home until he came to nothing. In a sense, he spent what he had received from his family, from his father. The family resources sustained him for awhile, but they could not sustain him forever. At some point he had to find himself apart from his home. He had to discover the resources that were unique to his own experience and spiritual path.

Many of us don’t discover those deeper, spiritual resources within us until we come to the end of all the other resources we’ve inherited, been given, or been taught. It’s easy to coast along on what someone else taught us or what we received from a significant person or what we gained from a single life experience. We can draw on that resource and allow it to support us for a long time, but eventually we come to the point where we’ve received everything it can impart to us.

At some point, we have to wrestle with God and in the struggle come to a sense of what is uniquely ours. We come to our own path. In fact, we may feel like we are making up a path as we go, and sometimes we are! In that struggle we begin to discern the unique shape of our own soul. Typically, though, we have to come to the end of ourselves before that happens. We come face-to-face with our own emptiness.

When I come to this place in my own life, I sometimes verbalize it to God as, “I’m so tired of myself!” That is, I feel worn out trying to live an illusion or attempting to do life with tools that no longer work. For me, it is a statement of surrender that indicates I’m at the “end of me” and ready to be, once again, at the “beginning of God.”

The younger son in the parable, far from being a disreputable role model, actually models the journey to wholeness very well. He takes what the family has given him, spends it, finds that it doesn’t buy happiness, comes to himself, and finally goes back home as a different person.

That’s a good model for wholeness to consider during Lent.


OBJECTS THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT – WEEK OF MARCH 18, 2018

DAILY READING: John 8:1–11FOCUS PASSAGE: Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. (Jn. 8:1–6)

Each of us have our own ways of making people pay for their sins. We may give them the cold shoulder. We may deal with them out of our learned passive-aggressive tendencies. We may broadcast their failings not-too-subtly to others. We may withhold the gift of our friendship.

The teachers of the Law and Pharisees in John 8 made this adulterous woman stand in their midst. They simply stood her up and looked at her with the glare of condemnation. They were glad to make a show of her and what she had done. Perhaps that was their way of dealing with the missteps of people: make them pay by public humiliation!

My hunch, however, is that they weren’t all that concerned with her actions and her morality. Rather, she was a pawn, an instrument, a tool they used to trap Jesus. They didn’t seem concerned about the woman. They were concerned for the disruption caused by Jesus.

Most of us use people for our own ends without realizing we are doing so. We make objects, tools, or instruments out of other people, using them for our purposes, manipulating them in ways that help us reach our desired end.

For the Pharisees, this meant using the woman as an object to pin down Jesus. For us it may mean using a loved one, a friend, or a stranger to help us get what we want.Our basic problem is an inherent self-centeredness in which we spin the universe around ourselves. We

see others in light of what they can give us or what we can get from them. We use persons to further our purpose. Like the Pharisees, we can propose a “stoning” if it helps us get closer to our desired end.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus never objectified a person. He didn’t deal with people on the basis of labels or categories. He didn’t reduce people to how they helped him accomplish his mission. He never diminished a person. “He would not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick” (Matt. 12:20).He would not use a person for his own ends. Through his connection with the Father, he received all

that he needed to accomplish his life-purpose. Perhaps God is inviting you to see and relate to people differently. During the reflective days of Lent,

you may be prompted to relate to people as persons, not as objects or as tools. It’s more difficult than you might think. Try it for 24 hours, though, and see how you do.

Each person you see today will be broken, needy, and poor in some way, even if they look whole, put-together, and wealthy. Their inner state is not cause for you to use them, but to extend compassion, mercy, and love to them.


SPIRITUAL INTUITION HOLY WEEK – WEEK OF MARCH 25, 2018

DAILY READING: Luke 19:28–40FOCUS PASSAGE: After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. (Lk. 19:28–32)

In Mark 14:12–16, Jesus prepared to eat the Passover with his disciples. When they inquired about a place in which to eat the meal, Jesus instructed them to go into the city and follow a man carrying a jar of water. When the man entered a house, they were to find the owner of the house and simply say, “The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” After the owner showed them a large upper room, they were to prepare the feast.

The method was very cryptic, and typical of Jesus. Today’s text from Luke’s Gospel is equally cryptic, not in terms of finding a room in which to share the

Passover, but related to finding an animal for Jesus to ride into Jerusalem.There are all sorts of unresolved questions in the text.Would the owner of the colt be okay with Jesus using it?How would the two disciples know if it had ever been ridden or not?Would an “anyone” who asked about the behavior of the disciples really know who “the Lord” was who

needed it?It would be easy to get lost in unresolved questions. In fact, many times our efforts at personal or group

Bible study get stuck in the bogs of such issues. Some of us have a hyper-developed “need-to-know,” so we can’t get beyond the questions and details. Yet, in texts like these we are given few answers.

What we are given, instead, is an image of Jesus who has a depth of spiritual attentiveness and intuition that others do not have. It was his nature as the Son of Humanity (my language for the “Son of Man” of the Bible), a human being fully developed, mature, integrated, and aware. Jesus saw what others could not see because his filters for seeing were God’s filters. His own rational, emotional, and psychological filters were so purified and translucent that he saw life, others, and the world as God sees.

One result of Jesus’ spiritual attentiveness was that he knew things other people did not know. He saw what others missed. He knew beneath and above, front and back. His depth of experience went beyond those around him.

The spiritual intuition that resided in Jesus is also available to God’s people as a gift of the Holy Spirit. It may sound hard to believe, but in truth, God’s Spirit makes accessible to every one of us what was available in Jesus.

Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk and spiritual guide, who wrote: “In Christ, everything that is divine and supernatural becomes accessible on the human level to every person. . . .” [New Seeds of Contemplation, (New York: New Directions, 1961), p. 150].

Merton was right. The intuition available to Jesus is also available to us.


INNER FREEDOM RESURRECTION SUNDAY – APRIL 1, 2018

DAILY READING: John 20:1–9FOCUS PASSAGE: So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) (Jn. 20:3–9)

In a few verses, the narration moves quickly from pointing out that “no one had ever been laid” in this tomb (19:41), to “they laid Jesus there” (19:42), to “they have taken the Lord out of the tomb” (20:2).

On Easter morning, these followers of Jesus did not find the body they anticipated finding. Instead, they found his clothing lying in the tomb.

John usually intended underlying meanings in his Gospel, so we can explore a couple of them.First, burial places are not permanent abodes. They look permanent, but they are not.I’ve been to more funerals than most people will attend in a lifetime. Everything about a funeral is

meant to affirm death’s permanence. The quality of the burial equipment (caskets and grave liners), the rites and rituals we follow at the time of death, and the shape of the funeral itself all point to death’s permanence. They send a message to the loved ones of the deceased: “Death is real!”

Jesus used the garden tomb for a period of time, but on Easter morning he was no longer there. It held him for a few hours, but could not hold him permanently. Death is the seed-bed of life.

Years later, the Apostle Paul wrote about death as the enemy, but then issued this challenge: “Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55). Jesus’ “death” was a very hollow victory for death. Jesus’ life extracted the “sting” from death.

Second, Jesus’ grave-clothes were left behind. He was not in the tomb, but his clothes were.Think of what clothes represent. What do they mean socially? Clothing marks us and gives us a name,

an image. Our clothes indicate how we see ourselves and how we want to be seen by others. For example, we can manipulate the opinions of strangers by carefully choosing our clothing. It’s the reason many of us get uptight about what we wear and how we look. Our image is at stake, and our clothing communicates what we want others to think about us.

Jesus wasn’t found in the tomb, but his clothing was. He didn’t choose these clothes; rather, others chose the clothing for him. The clothing with which he entered the tomb said about him: “Dead!” But that estimation of him was wrong.

Clothing never tells the whole story about us. It creates an illusion, a false front. Tombs don’t hold people (the soul is luminous and eternal!). But they do hold clothing.

When we finally exit the tombs and dead-end spaces in which we live, we symbolically have to leave our own clothing behind. The term for this leaving behind in the spiritual life is “inner freedom.” What better word could we carry through Resurrection Sunday than freedom?

I hope you experience freedom today as you follow Christ out of the tomb, and as you leave your grave-clothes behind with his.


We live in a time of bombardment by busyness and unrealistic expectations. Our hearts, lives, and families long for something bigger than ourselves. We need the season of Lent to slow our pace, to center our hearts and revisit the

life of Christ – the life that led to both death and resurrection. Christ, the baby born on Christmas Day who grew up in our world, walked in our shoes and chose to sacrifice His life for us.

In the spring of 2001, I was a 21-year-old woman who had such a strong calling on my life. I found myself in the United Methodist Church, a place that helped me embrace my call and chase my dreams. I found great beauty in the Methodist Church. Holy Communion and the practice of Lent have always stood out as transformative opportunities that drew me closer to the Lord.

From Ash Wednesday to Easter Saturday, we find a journey of faith for the whole family. It can be just as rich with tradition

and promise as the season of Advent. While there may not be the lighting of a candle each week, there are many ways for a family to create holy practices that center the way you do life together.

My hope and prayer is that you will come into this season of Lent with fresh eyes and an open heart, and will slow down and focus on what the Lord is doing in your heart, in your family, and in this community of believers.

Here are some suggestions of Lenten traditions for you to try. Or, create your own and share them with others.

• Choose a Lenten sacrifice as a family.• Commit to reading the Bible each day of Lent.• Serve together as a family once a week during this season.

As you eat, pray, live, and seek after the Lord together, I pray you experience God in new ways and try new things that center your family in the faith.

On the journey with you,Rev. Lisa Michelle “LM” WilsonPastor of Children’s Ministry

Lent With Your Family: Choose a Tradition

PAGE 26 CHIMES LENT / LENT WITH YOUR FAMILY

STEWARDSHIP OF GIFTS 2018Your estimate allows Chapelwood to build

our operating budget for the year.

Please pray over your stewardship gift for 2018 and share your estimate.

www.chapelwood.org/2018estimate

2018

PAGE 27

CHIMES LENT / NEW MEMBERS

New Members

Michelle Owen

Esther Wright

Frederick Krajewski

Jonny Chambless

Dee Cook

Laura and Peter Frandina(Madison, Margaret, Peter & Sam)

Allison and Grier Martin, Jr.(Grier, Bennett, Charlotte)

Kelsey and Tyler Munson

Alicia and David Marshall Don Anderson

CHIMES LENT / NEW MEMBERS

Melanie and Mike Pita(Abigail & William)

Leah and Ben Rear

Andrea and Wade Rigamonti

Betsy and Charles Thompson

Maggie and Tyson Seeliger(Anabelle & Brody)

Jennifer Richey(Vance & Kenzie)

Linda and Neil Martin

Jared Enger(Killian)

Membership is your commitment to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the areas of prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Tammy Heinrich, [email protected] or (713) 354-4446.

Jacqueline and Matt Hesterberg

Carmen Washington

Picture not available:Judi BrubakerCarlos Rivera

Jose Vazquez and Olga LoveraJohn HughesSylvia Wilson

Judi Brubaker

Baptisms

PAGE 30 CHIMES LENT / JOYS AND CONCERNS

Joys and Concerns

Olivia James Broussard, daughter of Kelly and Ryan Broussard,

on September 24, 2017. Westin Charles Montesino, son of Louisa and Michael

Montesino, on October 1, 2017. Kian Michael Burgess, son of Brooke and Brad Burgess,

on October 8, 2017. Julie “Evelyn” Zumberge, daughter of Ashley and Alex

Zumberge, on October 8, 2017. Georgia Moye McQueen, daughter of Annie and Tyler McQueen,

on October 8, 2017. William Patrick Herod, son of Lindsey and Clint Herod,

on November 12, 2017. Lucy Chambers Herod, daughter of Lindsey and Clint Herod,

on November 12, 2017. Evelyn Ruth Byatt, daughter of Brittony and David Byatt,

on November 12, 2017. June Delaney Withers, daughter of Taylor and Luke Withers,

on November 12, 2017.

A boy, Lachlan Rhodes Keck, born to Ange and John Keck

on October 3, 2017. A boy, Stephen John Simmons, Jr., born to Marilyn and Stephen

Simmons on October 27, 2017. A girl, Zoe Eden Whang, born to Lisa and Mike Whang

on November 3, 2017. A girl, Olivia Jane Rear, born to Leah and Ben Rear

on November 13, 2017.

Emily Anne McCarthy to Jason Edward Howeth

on September 23, 2017. Sarah Elizabeth Heisch to Brian Patrick McConn

on September 30, 2017. Jolie Nicole Relyea to Charles Lee Campbell on October 14, 2017. Madison Grace Slovacek to James Brendan Kauffman

on October 28, 2017. Breeana Stell to Paul George Ash III on November 11, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Wise and family on the death of Noel’s father, Mr. George Norman Hoover, on September 27, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Fabian E. Torres and family on the death of Fabian’s father, Mr. George Torres, on October 4, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Rowe and family on the death of Cyndee’s father on October 6, 2017.

Mr. J. Ryan Alcorn and family on the death of his father, Mr. George Alcorn, on October 10, 2017.

Mrs. Barbara Armstrong and family on the death of her husband, Mr. Dean Armstrong, on October 29, 2017.

Mrs. Julie Hodges Phillips and family on the death of her husband, Mr. Larry Brown Phillips III, on November 2, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Jed Howard, Jr. and family on the death of Rebecca’s mother, Mrs. Prella Mays Phillips, on November 3, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark Thompson and family on the death of Clark’s mother, Mrs. Betty Jo Thompson, on November 3, 2017.

Caroline and Logan Osborn and family on the death of their father, Mr. John David Osborn, on November 4, 2017.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Wetherhead and family on the death of their son, James (Jimmy) Beardsley, on November 7, 2017.

Mr. Bob Phillips, Brittany Faulk, Courtland Phillips, Cameron Phillips, Christian Bolden, and Mallory Mundt and their families on the death of their wife and mother, Mrs. Shirley Davanay Phillips, on November 11, 2017.

The family and friends of Mrs.Virginia Simmons, who died November 13, 2017.

Mrs. Marilyn Hattier, Margaret and Camella Fowler, and family on the death of their husband and father, Mr. Neal V. Fowler, on November 15, 2017.

The family and friends of Mrs. Cleta Ortloff, who died November 25, 2017.

Dr. and Mrs. Rob Dickinson and family, Mr. and Mrs. Tom Dickinson and family, and Ms. Carol Dickinson and family on the death of Rob’s, Tom’s, and Carol’s mother, Mrs. Marilyn Dickinson, on December 5, 2017.

Births

Our Prayers and Sympathy to:

Chapelwood wants to know about milestone events happening in your life — family changes, job transitions, illness, and recovery — so we may celebrate, grieve, and pray together through life transitions as family in Christ. If you or your family are in need of pastoral support in any of these areas, please contact Judy Sharp, [email protected] or (713) 354-4443.

Members are invited to share the news of a birth, wedding, or death of a spouse, parent, or child with Margaret Bedell, [email protected] or (713) 354-4432, for inclusion in the Chimes, published in February, May, August, and November.

Weddings

F E B R U A R Y Thursday, February 1 Registration open for Vacation Bible School March 1 www.chapelwood.org/vbs Tuesday, February 6 Women’s dinner hosted by UMW, Greenbay Fellowship Hall www.chapelwood.org/umwFriday, February 9 Night to Shine, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/nighttoshineSunday, February 11 Organ Dedication, Greenbay Sanctuary www.chapelwood.org/organseries Wednesday, February 14 Ash Wednesday services, multiple campuses www.chapelwood.org/ashwednesdaySaturday, February 17 Covenant Lent sermon series begins, all communities www.chapelwood.org/lentseries Saturday, February 17 Screening of Until Proven Innocent with Hannah Overton at Mercy Street, Greenbay Fellowship Hall www.chapelwood.org/proven Thursday, February 22 New Room day conference, Greenbay Campus www.newroomconference.com Friday, February 23 Father Daughter Dance, Greenbay Fellowship Hall www.chapelwood.org/dance Tuesday, February 27 – Spring Thing Market, Greenbay Campus Thursday, March 1 www.springthingmarket.org

M A R C HThursday, March 15 Registration Opens for Wesley Choir Camp July 15-20 www.chapelwood.org/wesley-camp Friday, March 23 Kingdom Marriage with Tony Evans, Greenbay Sanctuary www.chapelwood.org/tony Sunday, March 25 – Holy Week services, all communities Saturday, March 31 www.chapelwood.org/holyweekservicesMonday, March 26 – Holy Week Concerts and Prayer, Greenbay Campus Friday, March 30 www.chapelwood.org/holyweekconcerts Saturday, March 31 Easter Egg Hunt and Family Festival, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/egghunt

A P R I LSunday, April 1 Easter Sunday services, all communities www.chapelwood.org/holyweekservicesWednesday, April 4 Kingdom Marriage, book study begins, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/kingdomstudy Sunday, April 8 Seven Keys to Healthy Relationships sermon series begins, Greenbay Sanctuary www.chapelwood.org/relationshipsSunday, April 15 Organ Inaugural Series concert, Greenbay Sanctuary www.chapelwood.org/organseries Thursday, April 26 Chapelwood Foundation Dinner and Concert, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/foundationdinnerFriday, April 27 – Break Thru Student Retreat, Camp Piney Woods Sunday, April 29 www.chapelwood.org/breakthru

M A YTuesday, May 1 UMW General Meeting and Lunch, Greenbay Fellowship Hall www.chapelwood.org/umw Sunday, May 6 Confirmation Sunday, Greenbay Youth Building Upper Room www.chapelwood.org/confirmationsunday Sunday, May 13 Mother’s Day Brunch, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/mothersdaybrunch Sunday, May 13 Student Common Ground Service, Greenbay Campus www.chapelwood.org/commonground

SPRING AT A GLANCE

PAGE 31CHIMES LENT / SPRING AT A GLANCE

Postmaster, please deliver byFRIDAY/SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2/3, 2017

Vol. IX, No. 1, Feb 2018"The Chimes" (USPS 023285) is published

quarterly by Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay, Houston, TX 77024.

Periodicals Postage paid at Houston TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Chapelwood Chimes, 11140 Greenbay,

Houston, TX 77024-6729.

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 023285

11140 Greenbay St.Houston, TX 77024

Phone (713) 465-3467 Fax (713) 365-2808

www.chapelwood.org

new hope, new lifeevan.chapelwood.org/pdf/2018_01_lent_echimes.pdf · even when we fail to live...

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