Every year during Lent the Spiritual Life Commission of Christ Episcopal Church compiles and publishes a Lenten Meditation Book, containing submissions from our parish family that are intended to inspire, encourage reflection, and spark action in our community and the world. These meditations range from poems and quotes to Bible verses and prayers, as well as songs, personal reflections, and inspirational passages from well-known theologians or authors. Our LMB also includes a Daily Office for the Lenten season. If you're nearby, you can grab a printed copy of our LMB at Christ Church while supplies last, or you can visit us here each day, as we'll post one meditation each weekday. You can also check our social media outlets; simply click the links in this post, or bookmark the icons at the top of this page. We hope that you enjoy and appreciate these meditations, as they reflect our varied and vibrant Christ Church family. We're pleased to be able to share them with you. Prayer for Reflection Dear Lord, 2021 has started off with so much uncertainty, so much loss, and so many struggles. Right now, things seem bleak and for many doubt is trying to take root. During this time we pray that our eyes, our hearts, and our minds remain open and searching for your light, your grace, and hope. Help us to not only be Christ-like as we rebuild but, to also be the seekers and finders of light in the darkness. Amen.

Next WOCC Meeting The WOCC's next monthly meeting will take place on Monday, March 1st at 1:00. Once again, we will be meeting via the Zoom meeting app, which is free and available for sign up on www.Zoom.us. Please go to their site and sign up prior to the meeting. Feel free to join us! Birthday Cards Effective January 2021, WOCC started sending Birthday e-cards for those WOCC members interested in receiving an e-card rather than one via USPS. Please ensure that Christ Church has your correct email address in your Church’s REALM account. If you do not have a REALM account, email Yetti, office@christchurchcolumbia.org so that she can send you a link to set up an account. Outreach - Seafarer’s Donations For years we have been involved in providing requested items to Seafarers. Below is a list of the types of magazines, books and DVD’s/CD’s to be donated. If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated. The Seafarer’s bin is in lower level, near the bottom of the steps, in the Parish House. Suggested Items needed: Bible in modern English (or Tagalog, Russian, or Chinese), Times/Newsweek/etc. up to 3 months old Sports Illustrated/People/etc. up to 6 months Cars/Computers/Consumers magazines - up to 1 year Reader’s Digest up to a couple of years National Geographics post 2000 Books (except for Bibles) are less often requested, but some seafarers do appreciate action novels, as well as picture books about Baltimore or the U.S. Action/adventure DVD’s. Recent popular CD’s. Religious books (in easy English), DVD’s, CD’s; rosaries. WOCC Membership All the women of Christ Church over the age of 18 are members of the WOCC. If you have any questions, please contact the WOCC officers by emailing wocc@christchurchcolumbia.org: Gail Braatelien, President; Rhonda Tomlinson, Vice President; Cathy Gold, Financial Secretary; Joan Harvey, Secretary; and Pamela Brown, Chaplain.

Lent is a season of intentional discipleship under Christ and with Christ. We also practice Lent to bond more closely with fellow Christians who are on the same journey, not only in our local parish but also around the nation and throughout the world. Along the way, our sin and enslaving habits are put to death, and we learn to internalize and share in Christ’s resurrection power. The most important reason to practice Lent is to draw near to Jesus Christ. The Lenten services, programs, livestreams, and gatherings at Christ Church are rich in traditions and liturgical rites. We will also examine Lent as it relates to our parish theme for 2021: "Be God's Light that Shines in the Darkness" We invite all of you to join us for these activities and worship opportunities, as we unite to enrich our Lenten experience in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. You can find our Lenten season schedule on our website's Lent at Christ Church page. If you have any questions or need further details, reach out to us using the contact information at the bottom of this page.

The Women of Christ Church invited everyone to send us a photo of yourselves wearing red, and we're extremely pleased to share this collage with you today! This is all to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, which claims the lives of one in every three women. Nearly 80 percent of cardiac events can actually be prevented, so when we take care of our hearts as self-care, we set an example for others. Please visit https://www.goredforwomen.org to learn more.

The Christ Episcopal Church 2021 Lenten Meditation Book - presented by our Spiritual Life Commission - has been created, and we want to thank everyone for their wonderful and heartfelt submissions this year. This 80-page book will provide the meditations we'll post throughout the season of Lent. These website & social media posts are viewed by thousands of individuals worldwide and contain prayers, songs, stories, poems, and personal reflections, as well as our parishioners' favorite inspirational pieces by writers and theologians. Starting on Ash Wednesday (February 17th), you'll find a daily meditation on our website and social media channels, and a new one every weekday throughout the season. Then on weekends, we'll publish the words and music of a beloved song or hymn - a musical work that a parishioner has submitted because it echoes within their own heart, and now might do the same in yours. If you want to learn how to obtain a copy of the 2021 CEC Lenten Meditation Book, email us at communications@christchurchcolumbia.org

Today is the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Collect of the Day: O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: 2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9 Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon text can be read here. Today's Worship Livestream: Today's service bulletin can be found here.

Join Us on February 15th to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots If you want to celebrate Presidents’ Day, why not reach out to help others? One way is to prepare a side dish or dessert for the monthly meal that we provide for the 50 residents of the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Or you can bring items for their pantry to be enjoyed round-the-clock by residents of the live-in facility on Freetown Rd. On Monday, Feb. 15th, please plan to arrive between 3:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. outside Old Brick. There’s a new twist, starting this month and going forward. After parishioners had suggested using an electronic registry to improve planning for the meal, the Outreach Commission was pleased to respond. Starting this week, volunteers can go online to the Christ Church Grassroots Meal link on SignUpGenius to learn which items are requested and to tell coordinators what you plan to bring. During the pandemic, Christ Church began these parking-lot drop-offs in lieu of the monthly meals that we once provided in-person at another Grassroots facility, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center. That facility remains closed due to the coronavirus, except for curbside distribution of non-perishables. In this pandemic-era tradition, co-coordinator Nancy Winchester acquires fried chicken at Weis and meets the other volunteers as they enter the Christ Church parking lot. Nancy then transports the food to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. Additional participants — and the resulting side dishes, desserts, fruit, and granola bars to complement our main course — are always welcome. Be sure to wear a mask with multiple layers and plan to practice social distancing to keep everyone safe. For questions in addition to the information available at the sign-up link, ask Nancy or co-coordinator Shahra Toth or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Now’s the time to mark your calendars for the subsequent meals, which are typically scheduled on the third Monday of the month. Save the dates of March 15 and April 19. The time and place remain the same, and please arrive no later than 3:30 p.m. because the departure for Grassroots is prompt. On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal on several evenings recently for the 50 adults and children. Consider pitching in, by picking a date to provide an entree and side dishes, or just the entree. Grassroots encourages an order of 12 pizzas -- four with cheese and the rest with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list maintained by Grassroots. Share the News of a Pop-Up Pantry on February 19th in Jessup If you or someone you know is in need of food, the Howard County government is spreading the word. A pop-up pantry will be held from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 19 at the Ridgely Run Community Center, 8400 Mission Road in Jessup. The county’s Office of Human Rights and Equity’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission and the Harriet Tubman Foundation of Howard County are the sponsors. Drives Continue to Collect Diapers and Personal Care Items for CCC and Non-liquid, Non-perishable Foods for FISH Parishioners are asked to support Columbia Community Care (CCC), an all-volunteer effort that came together in Howard County in response to the pandemic, by collecting diapers, baby wipes, and personal care items. CCC needs women’s sanitary care products, soaps, shampoo, deodorant, and other toiletries. Please put them in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” just inside the Parish Hall door. You can drop off items on weekdays until 2 p.m., but we ask that you call the church office (410) 381-9365 to let them know when you are coming. Meanwhile, the basket of groceries for FISH of Howard County that once stood at the altar has been replaced by a yellow bin, marked “FISH” on the breezeway between the Parish Hall and Old Brick. During winter, please contribute items such as cereal and granola bars that will not freeze. Please do NOT bring canned goods, liquids in plastic such as juices and salad dressing, or glass containers. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you. February LEMS Committee Update LEMS teachers will be returning to the school building this month. To help the teachers and staff feel appreciated, the LEMS provided goodie bags for each of them, as requested by the school principal. The LEMS committee is continuing to provide food for ten families one weekend a month. If anyone is interested in volunteering with the monthly bulk purchasing, bagging, and delivering to the school when New Brick reopens please contact the committee. With local COVID cases still elevated we are following strict safety precautions and will expect the same of all volunteers. If you have any questions, please contact lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. WOCC Outreach - Seafarer’s Donations For years, the WOCC has been involved in providing requested items to Seafarers. Below is a list of the types of magazines, books, and DVD’s/CD’s to be donated. If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated. The Seafarer’s bin is in the lower level, near the bottom of the steps, in the Parish House. Suggested Items needed: · Bible in modern English (or Tagalog, Russian, or Chinese), · Times/Newsweek/etc. up to 3 months old · Sports Illustrated/People/etc. up to 6 months · Cars/Computers/Consumers magazines - up to 1 year · Reader’s Digest up to a couple of years · National Geographic (post-2000) · Books (except for Bibles) are less often requested, but some seafarers do appreciate action novels, as well as picture books about Baltimore or the U.S. · Action/adventure DVD’s. Recent popular CD’s. · Religious books (in easy English), DVD’s, CD’s; rosaries. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

When Russell Wilson arrived in Seattle for his first rookie minicamp, one of the first things he did was to call the Seattle Children’s’ Hospital to arrange a visit every Tuesday. The staff did not know who he was, but since his first Tuesday visit, he makes it a point to visit the sickest of the sick at the premier hospital every week. He does not visit because he has all the answers to the problems any of the patients may be facing. He does not visit because he has a remedy that would be potent enough to cure any of the ailments that these children may be dealing with. He does not visit because he has more time on his hands. He visits because he believes that love changes things. More than that, he visits because he learned this personal intuitive question from his father: Why not you?’ That is an important lesson that a parent could teach their child, or that we can all teach others. Ever since I began my ministry here at Christ Church, I have had moments when parishioners have asked themselves this very important question "Why not you?" and then respond to the question in a way that is uplifting, soulful, motivating, and prophetic. I employ the use of the word "prophetic" because we live not only for the present; we also live or exist for the future. Our individual lives are oriented towards a future telos - one where the earth, you, and I feel the encompassing rain of God’s heaven. To me, that is the one question that moves us away from indifference but onward and upward on paths of graciousness. There was once a mouse who lived in a farmyard. He enjoyed his freedom running around, eating anything he wanted from the farmer’s produce. One day, he noticed the farmer unwrapping a parcel. It was a mousetrap. Terrified, the mouse ran off to share the terrible news with all the other animals on the farm. First, he went to the chicken. “Terrible news,” he said. "The farmer has bought a mousetrap.” “Well, what has that got to do with me?” asked the chicken. "I’m not a mouse.” Next, the mouse went to see the pig. “Terrible news, Brother Pig. The farmer has bought a mousetrap.” “Oh, what a tragedy,” exclaimed the pig. “A sad day for mice everywhere. I will remember you in my prayers.” The little mouse was not done yet. He went looking for the kind-hearted cow. “Sister Cow, you will not believe this. The farmer has bought a mousetrap.” The cow lifted her head up slowly and looked at the mouse. “Let me know when he buys a cow trap,” she said. Finally, the mouse gave up and went back to her hole. That night, the farmer’s wife heard a loud snap, as something got caught in the trap. She woke up to investigate. In the dark, she felt around on the ground for the trap. Unfortunately for her, the trap had clamped down on the tail of a poisonous snake, and the farmer’s wife sustained a nasty bite. She became very ill; the farmer decided to make her some soup, so he killed the chicken. Days went by, and his wife’s condition got worse. Friends and family came to visit, so the farmer killed the pig to feed them. A few days later, the farmer’s wife died. Many people came to the funeral. The farmer slaughtered the cow to feed the group. From his small hole, the mouse watched sadly as these events unfolded. There is a tribal cliché: "w) ny3nko n3 da, nyi w) da," which is literally translated to mean "Your friend’s day is your day." To wit, your friend’s sorrow is your sorrow, or your friend’s joy is your joy. Your friend’s moment of sadness is yours and your friend’s moment of celebration is yours, as well. There is nothing that can happen to your friend that cannot happen to you. You are simply a stone's throw away from being in your friend’s shoes. For that reason, you should not hesitate in asking that perennial question "Why not you?" That is one question that guarantees our desire to make the change that love demands of us. Paul encourages us in Galatians to “carry each other’s burden, in this way, we will fulfill the law of Christ.” And so, if one of us has a problem, let us not deceive ourselves by thinking that it does not affect us. Just as much as no one is an island, we have to embrace the reality that we are so linked in ways that may not be obvious to us. We hold more in common than we care to acknowledge. "Why not you?" Recognizing the challenges that most people are facing with regards to registering for the vaccine, Matt and Sarah, two parishioners at Christ Church, have come up with innovative ways in which we can collaborate in helping parishioners register to be vaccinated. I invite you to read about it and to sign up if you need help. Additionally, Dr. Harolyn Jackson, also a Christ Church parishioner, Professor of Pediatrics, and Vice President at Johns Hopkins Hospital will lead Zoom seminars for the public on February 23rd and March 2nd. One will be centered around COVID-19 vaccine information, and the other focuses on ensuring the health and well-being of our children and youth. If ever there was one thing that has been made so clear to me, it is that the challenges of any one person or community are not peculiar to that person or community alone. We are not only enriched by the success of one another but also made poorer by their poverty. It feels incredibly convenient to act like the chicken, the pig or the cow because a mousetrap has nothing to do with you. But like Russell Wilson, the Seahawks football star who visits the Seattle Children's Hospital every Tuesday and whose father introduced him to the question "Why not you?" you can also operate with the mindset that love changes things, love changes conditions. Love brings hope and a smile to the face of the sickest among us who may not feel the presence of our visit, much more to appreciate our very presence. But if you have that mindset, every Tuesday will be for you, a synonym for every day. Tuesdays may not work for you and, in fact, none of the days of the week may work for you, but during this Valentine’s Day week, believe that every day can work for you because you have an apt response to this question: ''Why not you?' Well, if not me, then who? Manny.

COVID-19 vaccines are available in Maryland for those who qualify, but getting an appointment is nowhere as simple as it should be. Here is a document that provides more information about who is currently eligible for a vaccine, links to local and state guidance, and helpful direct links to most major organizations providing vaccines. This will be updated each week as information changes, so check back each week for the latest consolidated information. In addition, Christ Church is offering assistance to those who are currently eligible for a vaccine (age 65+) and would like help getting an appointment. Often the appointments at retail locations fill up in minutes, so we have volunteers who can quickly jump on those opportunities for you. Please contact Kathy Lyon, Pastoral Care if you are interested in getting assistance. Finally, Christ Church is looking for additional volunteers who are comfortable using a computer and would like to assist our high-risk parishioners with registering for each of the separate vaccine waitlists. If this sounds something like you can help with, please contact Deacon Denise. By working together, we can help our church community get vaccinated as soon as possible and move one step closer to a return to normal. If we can be of further assistance, please email info@christchurchcolumbia.org

African Team Ministries is a Christian ministry working as an intermediary between African and American churches. With help from Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Anglican denominations, we provide funding for orphan and refugee relief missions and evangelism in East Africa. African Team Ministries provides East African, primarily Kenyan, artisans with a market for their beautiful creations. Due to COVID-19, all sales are online this year, so please visit their website to see intricate wood carvings, eye-catching soapstone décor, natural elements nativity sets, stunning necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more! You can find their store page at https://africanteamstore.square.site/ The support they receive is sent directly to their partnering Bishops to provide school fees, tuition, books, and uniforms. This support ensures that the children receive an education and a measure of stability needed to rebuild their minds. African Team Ministries currently have children registered for sponsorship in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. To learn more about African Team Ministries, please visit their website at www.africanteamministries.org

Today is the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. Collect of the Day: Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Deuteronomy 18:15-20Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-12, 21c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 Sermon for Today: Deacon Denise's Sermon text can be read here. Today's Worship Livestream: Today's service bulletin can be found here.