Reflections by Rev. Dan Bogre

Dear Friends and Family of RRUMC,

I know that it feels as though Christmas just passed us by, but we are fast approaching Ash Wednesday on March 5 which will then launch us into our Lenten journey to Easter Sunday.

Yes, it is already Lent. And, as you know, at RRUMC for Advent and Lent, we choose a book to be our guide and foundation on which those seasons find their way into our hearts. This season of Lent is no different.

This Lent we will be studying Tom Berlin’s book, “The Third Day: Living the Resurrection.” So many times, we study the people, the world, and the events leading up to Easter Sunday and lose the focus of what happened after Jesus was resurrected that first Easter morning. This is what Tom Berlin talks about in his book: “This is a book about how the resurrection of Jesus Christ profoundly changed the lives of those who followed him and how it can transform ours as well. The resurrection is not a strategy or product. The resurrection is to be a reference point in our lives rather than one Sunday on a calendar.” It is because of this that we will be talking about the experiences of Mary Magdalene, Peter, Thomas, Paul, and Jesus following the resurrection. We will follow these five people and how they showed us the fact that the resurrection was the very event that set their lives on a new path on the other side of that history changing event.

Through our season of Lent, Paul and I will be preaching from the Scriptures that this book uses for each chapter to guide us through the lives of those folks on the other side of the resurrection. We too live on the other side of the resurrection. The question then becomes for us: how has the resurrection changed the trajectory of our lives? We will also have many different Bible study options throughout Lent using Tom Berlin’s book to guide us. There will be multiple days and times available so that you are not only hearing the sermons stemming from the book, but you are also studying the book with others as we walk the journey of Lent together. Please go to our website or contact the office for more information. This Lent, instead of giving something up, please consider picking something up - like one of the Bible studies being offered. I hope and pray that you have a blessed Lenten journey.

Peace and Blessings,
Rev. Dan