Palm Sunday Project
Pastor Joanie Siloam
Read John 9:1-41
Graphic Image
sanctifiedart.org
The beauty and challenge of this story is that Jesus doesn’t heal alone. He invites the man to co-create with him, to be an active participant in his own renewal.
There is no quick fix. Jesus doesn’t grant him sight through a profession of faith or a tap on the shoulder. Instead, the man enters the messy wilderness of healing by enduring three stages of blindness—by birth, by mud, then by water—before he opens his eyes to the world of color and light.
He must go deeper into his own personal wilderness—away from his healer, away from his accepted and familiar place outside the city. He must risk public shaming and social scrutiny in order to go into the city center—where he is both not allowed and yet sent—and submerge himself to a quick death of his old life, a death of his senses, a death of what was once all too familiar and all too hard.
When I place myself in the man’s shoes, I imagine myself receiving Jesus’ command to go—to go beyond what is familiar into territory unknown; to be an active participant in my own continual healing and transformation; to surrender myself to a death of sorts, one that forces me to submerge into God’s murky and living waters so I can once again be reborn and awaken to the world with new eyes.
In this image, the pool of Siloam surrounds and lures the man, like baptismal waters claiming his place in the family of things.
— Lisle Gwynn Garrity
COVID-19 Resources
Your mental health is important! Even more so when your world is turned upside down. Below are a few links that you may find useful as you journey through the days and weeks ahead. Please check them out…even if you don’t think you need them (Hint: The best time to take care of yourself is when you think you are doing just fine!) So, no matter where you are, just click the links and do something today to take care of yourself!
- Coping with COVID-19 (from Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Center)
- Coping with Coronavirus (from VeryWellMind.com) – several great articles from “How to Cope with Anxiety” to “How to be a Good Partner During Quarantine”
- Why Your Mental Health May Be Suffering During the COVID-19 Pandemic (from PBS)
- Seven Tips to Manage Your Mental Health and Well-Being During the COVID-19 Outbreak (from Nature.com)
- 20 Prayers to Pray During This Pandemic (from Christianity Today)
We will continue to look for good resources to help us all cope during this pandemic, so please stay tuned for more. (Seriouly, click on one of the links above…it can’t hurt and is most definitely can help!)
This Sunday, April 5th:
Palm Sunday
While we cannot physically be together this week for Palm Sunday, we invite you to participate in a special Palm Sunday Parade of Palms video project. Here’s what to do:
- Find a branch in your backyard
- Take a short video (5-10 seconds) of yourself or your family waving the branch and saying: “Hosanna!” and/or “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
- If you cannot do a video, then just take a picture
- Families/households can get everyone involved and do this as a group
- Be sure to use the landscape orientation on your phone (holding your phone horizontally) .
- Send your videos and/or pictures to jason@littletreenc.org or text them to 919-417-0179.
We want to include the whole church family in a picture/video collage in Sunday’s worship service. So, we need everyone to participate to make our “Parade of Palms” happen!
Daily Prayer Call
Join us each day this week at 12 noon for our Daily Prayer Conference Call.
1. Phone: Call (563) 999-1222
2. Mobile Device: Download “Free Conference Call” App from the AppStore & Use Meeting ID: hoodchurch Download for Android – Download for Apple
3. Computer: Connect to the Internet and Visit – https://join.freeconferencecall.com/hoodchurch
Your Gift Empowers Us to Be the Church!
COVID-19 Resources
- Harnett Health – 910-893-7550
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
- NC COVID-19 Information: Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 or Text COVIDNC to 898211
- CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
- COVID-19 Worldwide Data with Interactive Map
COVID-19 Testing: Only those who meet the following criteria should ask their doctor or local health department about being testing for COVID-19 through the NCSLPH:
- Have fever or lower respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) and close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within the past 14 days; OR
- Have fever and lower respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) and a negative rapid flu test
If you meet these criteria and have been unable to get tested by your doctor, please call Harnett Health at 910-893-7550.