Alison Faison

Lent 2023: Coins and Jesus

Lent is a time for you and your child to prayerfully reflect and reconnect with God. Taking a walk to observe changes in nature can reveal the Lenten story. The seed grows in the darkness into a flower blooming in the light. Jesus walked in the wilderness, experienced a harrowing last week on earth, and then is risen at Easter. If you would like to read Lenten children’s stories with your child, check out “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle and “Make Room: A Child’s Guide to Lent and Easter” by Laura Alary. You are invited to join us on a Lenten journey to deepen our faith and deepen our community as we walk towards Jerusalem in search of new life and resurrection.

Calvary’s theme is “The Currency of Christ: A Devotion Through Coins in the Bible. Using excerpts from Jill. J. Duffield’s book Lent in Plain Sight: A Devotion through Ten Objects, we will explore the ways the imagery of coins is used again and again in scripture. In the Bible, coins are precious items to be found when lost; they are sometimes given to God in offering or used as a means to cheat innocent victims. Coins were used to test Jesus and to betray Jesus. Coins symbolized more than just currency in Jesus’s day, and money (in the form of coins, cash, checks, credit cards, and NFTs) continue to play a large part in our own society. How might coins help us experience the holy in our everyday lives? How can these ordinary objects serve as a means of grace or a connection to the divine?” Parents can explore these topics in the Parent Small Group Lenten Bible Study beginning on Sunday, March 5 at 9 am. The group meets every Sunday through March 26. Sign up for the Lenten Studies Kick Off Luncheon happening this Sunday, February 26 at 11:15 am. Whether you’re new to Bible study and small groups or whether it’s your favorite part of church, all are welcome to join us!

Another way to connect with the meditative spirit of Lent while nurturing your body and spirit is to join our new Kundalini Yoga: Magical Mondays classes beginning on Monday, March 13 at 6 pm. Classes will run on Mondays through April 17. There will be no class on April 10 as Calvary is closed on Easter Monday. Rocky Blumhagen and Laura Paradis are seasoned yoga practitioners and teachers who will welcome you into safe movement with music. No yoga experience required. Laura will also teach the 9 am yoga class for the Women’s Retreat on Saturday, March 18. Join us in community!

More to Explore

Talking with Kids About the Order of Worship in the Bulletin.

If I visited Calvary for the first time and had not been to a Presbyterian church before, I would want someone to help me understand what I was doing throughout the order of worship. This blog provides an example of how some churches annotate their bulletins so children, youth, and adults can learn more about why we choose to read, sing, pray, and listen at certain times during the worship service. Harvey Browne Memorial Presbyterian Church (www.hbpres.net) in Louisville, Kentucky offers a model of how to explain the order of worship. Being transparent about how we worship together is in line with our reformed tradition. We can read and interpret the Bible ourselves, as well as worship and say prayers with our own bodies. Many years ago, a priest would do all of this while the congregation sat or stood. It is important for parents to share with their children that all people have the freedom to contribute to a worship service. By singing, listening, praying, and sharing, we get to know each other and witness each other’s talents and inspiring work. Fellowship and education events are only part of the ways that we form our faith together. Participating in worship is what binds us together each Sunday, so that we can support each other at or outside of church during the week.

Support Trans Kids

Calvary Presbyterian Church continues to support transgender youth and adults. March 2023 is Transgender Awareness Month. We show our continuing support through messages such as, “Trans Lives Matter,” “Believe Trans Kids,” “Support Trans Kids,” and “Protect Trans Kids.” This blog will offer some insight into Presbyterian and San Francisco organizations that actively support and advocate for LGBTQI+ people. I hope that you will take time to read through these resources. There is hope. So many inspired people of all ages are working together for freedom, safety, and love. Now that I am raising two teens I have come to more clearly understand the context and reality that LGBTQI+ youth live in every day. It is crucial to support the growth and development of transgender children and youth who sense that their “gender identity does not correspond with, or sit comfortably with, the sex they were registered at birth.” That is the definition of transgender offered by Twinkl, an education website for children ages preschool to 8th grade. See more definitions at the end of this blog. Transgender children, youth, young adults, adults, and senior adults do not want to be "othered" as they are children of God. We want to believe, support, and protect them, so that they can live safely and freely without fear and shame. When adults do not see or support children or youth as they are, the risks of gender dysphoria and youth suicide increase. God created all of us in Their image. May we have the courage to send out Jesus’ message of love and acceptance to ourselves and all people.

2022 Annual Report