Might you be like me and feel a sense of excitement as we turn the page on the calendar? Here we are in March, and already I’m noticing signs of new growth on the trees outside my window as I write this. These small beginnings in nature remind me of what I want to share with you today: a new opportunity for us as a community to experience our own new growth together.
As we are entering this new season, I am delighted to invite you to a transformative 10‑month journey grounded in Jim Lockard’s inspiring book The Beloved Community. This program offers us the chance to deepen our connection with one another, to practice the principles that awaken our highest selves, and to grow both individually and collectively into a community that truly embodies love, compassion, equity, and spiritual courage. I hope you will join us as we explore what it means to co‑create a beloved community where each person belongs, each voice matters, and each heart is welcomed just as it is. Let’s walk this path side by side and allow new growth not just in nature, but in us to unfold beautifully in the months ahead.
As we continue our Lenten journey with the theme “Jesus Calls Us Out of Hiding,” we are invited to look lovingly at the places within us that we tend to tuck away the tender places, the uncertain places, the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to keep hidden. Not because they are wrong, but because at some point we believed they wouldn’t be welcomed, understood, or safe. Yet the message of Jesus is one of invitation, not accusation. He calls us out of hiding not to expose us, but to liberate us to lead us into a fuller, freer expression of who we truly are.
This week’s practice is offered to help you gently explore where you may still be hiding, and to allow the light of Love to draw you forward with compassion and courage.
Your Practice for the Week
1. Notice where you are hiding.
Each day, pause for a few quiet breaths and ask yourself:
“Where am I hiding my light, my voice, my truth, or my tender heart?”
You may notice subtle places — avoiding a conversation, downplaying your gifts, or keeping your true feelings tucked away. Simply acknowledge what arises, without judgment.
2. Let Love speak first.
Once you notice a place of hiding, place your hand on your heart and whisper:
“I am safe in Love. I am seen in Love. I am called forward in Love.”
Feel that safety expand in you. This is the Presence that Jesus embodied — a Love that invites us out of the shadows and into wholeness.
3. Take one small step into the light.
Choose one gentle action each day that brings you a little more “out of hiding.”
It might be:
- Sharing an authentic feeling with someone you trust
- Letting yourself receive help or affirmation
- Expressing a talent, idea, or truth you usually keep quiet
- Saying “yes” to something life‑giving — or “no” to something draining
- The step can be tiny. What matters is that it moves you toward freedom.
Join me next Sunday as we explore a Jesus who doesn’t offer quick conclusions but invites us to trust the unfolding and live with holy questions. As we loosen our grip on certainty, Lent begins to deepen within us. Join us for this gentle movement from clarity into faithful curiosity.
May this year invite us into deeper awareness, expanded possibility, and the joyful knowing that as we live our light, we bless the world. Together, we affirm there is always more good seeking expression through us, and it begins right here.
You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey
