Kindred in Christ,

As my wife, Kim, and I eagerly await the arrival of our baby in just a few short weeks, I keep thinking about what it will be like to see the world through tiny, new eyes. That fresh perspective reminds me that God calls us to see differently too, not just the beauty around us, but also the places where injustice and suffering remain. This Sunday, our Lenten series, The Work of Imagination, invites us into that kind of seeing with Psalm 23 and John 9:1–41.

Psalm 23 comforts us with God as our shepherd, guiding us through green pastures and shadowed valleys, steady even when the path ahead is uncertain. In the Gospel, we meet a man who has never seen before. Jesus restores his sight, but the story is about more than physical vision. He begins to see the world in a new way, challenging old assumptions and discovering a life transformed by God’s grace.

These readings invite us to stretch our imagination. What might we notice if we looked at the world through God’s eyes? Where might healing, dignity, and restoration appear in places we thought were fixed or lost? Where might we be called to act for justice, bringing light to shadows and hope to places of despair? Lent calls us to pay attention, to wonder, and to imagine the unexpected ways God is at work.

I am grateful for the care and prayers while I was away last week. I am excited to return this Sunday, while still taking it easy. My procedure went well, and I am slowly finding my rhythm again. I am especially thankful that Alex Bodman, a candidate for ministry from Ronald UMC, will be our guest preacher this Sunday. He brings fresh energy and insight.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we worship, pray, and imagine together, opening our eyes to what God’s love and justice can do in our lives and in the world around us.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz