"February is the Longest Month"

I love catchy sermon titles. One of my favorites is “February Is the Longest Month” by Steven Kraftchick. We know he is wrong, right? February is the shortest month, only 28 days. The twist is that it is the shortest month in terms of days, but not so short in how we seem to experience it.

January rolls in on the heels of Christmas with its promises of a new start and New Year and new hopes and dreams. March entices us with its promise of daffodils and the sweet smell of spring right around the corner. But in between, February has lost the freshness of a new year and it seems like March can take forever to arrive. Oh, we have Ground Hog’s Day, and President’s Day, and Valentine’s Day to try and pass the time, but basically February is boring. 

Do you know why it is called February? The name comes from a Roman purification ritual performed at that time of year in the old lunar Roman calendar. This year think about purification, and it might be best February of all for you. It all starts on Wednesday, February 18^th, when we welcome the liturgical season of Lent. We begin with our weekly Wednesday early Lenten Breakfasts, complete with great food, stirring music, wonderful speakers, fellowship, and prayer.  That evening we have our Ash Wednesday Communion and Imposition of Ashes worship service with our friends from Sardis Baptist. The next week we will begin a special Wednesday evening Bible study, tailored just for Lent.

On February 21, we welcome back by popular demand Dr. Richard Boyce, as we kick off our 2015 Enrichment Series with a dinner and program. Dr. Boyce is an amazing teacher, whose mixture of Biblical scholarship, faith, humor, and practical applications to life are enjoyed by all.

And did you know, on Sunday, February 22, we recognize the founding of our church, started in 1790, which was 225 years ago! Wow, come to think about it, February might be the best month of all.