Greetings!

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her.”

-Isaiah 66:10, NRSVUE

This Sunday is Laetare Sunday. If you happened to visit a Roman Catholic church that still did a Latin mass, this would be the first word you’d hear. Laetare. Rejoice!

It’s not a suggestion. It’s an imperative, as if the forbears of our liturgical traditions are saying, “Hey! You there in 2025! Rejoice! Take a breather, refresh yourselves in the middle of your Lenten journeys!”

In worship, we refresh ourselves with a switch to rose colored vestments, hopeful readings and music, and announcements about the Holy Week schedule. But what about the rest of the week?

This year in Lent I’ve extended weekly “joyful invitations” to you all as a part of our series, “The Lost Art of Kindness.” If I may, I’d like to extend one more:

Do something this week that refreshes your soul.

This kind of refreshment is deeper than a wellness trend. It’s not a command to self-care so that you can fuel up to work even more later. It’s a divine imperative to enjoy something, to express gratitude, to remember that on the other side of our repentance is a loving God with wide-open arms.

I’d love to hear what you do (or don’t do!) to refresh your souls. Send me an Email, or tell me all about it at coffee tomorrow morning.

Rejoicing with you,

Rev. Annie