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This year we invite you to an intentional, daily practice that will help you not only to be present to every moment but do so in a way that cultivates, gratitude, joy, and wholeness.

Being open to the challenges of our world and the fullness of self requires vulnerability and courage.  This year we invite you to consider making your Lenten Resolution taking on a daily practice – one that seeks to find meaning in every moment.  The practice comes from the Grateful Living website, which is the site for the ministries of Brother David Steindl-Rast.  How the organization understands life aligns beautifully with Lent, namely that:

“Living gratefully helps you navigate the joys and difficulties that accompany life. This is not an exercise in avoiding the hard stuff you experience by pretending things are okay when they’re not.  Instead, living gratefully is being fully present to your life so that your perspective can be expanded, your compassion enhanced, and your purpose discovered in this moment.  This is what makes every day more meaningful.”

We will be using Brother David’s prayers and resources in worship.  The practice we hope you will engage: Developing Meaning in Every Moment is detailed on the next page including the resources you will need (all of which are free) This practice will resonate with the liturgies we are using on Sunday and will help those seeking to have a consistent framework for the daily living of Lent.

In addition, we have ordered many of Brother David’s books which will be in the Library for people to check-out and engage throughout Lent.  While we may hold a conversation about those books after Easter, there is no obligation to any program by picking one up and taking it home.  The books will simply add depth and context to the approach to the daily practice.

Thank you for your engagement during Lent.  Additional ways to connect include:

• Wednesday Morning Prayer – 8:00 a.m. (Zoom – link found on our website)
• Community Suppers 2nd Wednesdays (3/12 & 4/9) – 5:30 p.m. E. Room
• UCC Daily Devotions (provided by C.E.) – available in J.E. Room or through the Church Office.
• Holy Week Activities – Thursday April 17 & Friday April 18 – Details TBD

Discovering Meaning in Every Moment, written by Joe Primo  – found on grateful.org

Found on grateful.org ( https://grateful.org/resource/discovering-meaning-in-every-moment/ )

 Meaning permeates every aspect of your life—in joy and in sorrow, in the extraordinary and the mundane. By cultivating a grateful perspective and living with intention, you open yourself to discovering meaning in every moment.  This reflective practice is designed to help you find the meaning that already exists in your life.

Setting the Stage

• Try to schedule this time every day at the same time.
• Create a place that is comfortable, quiet, and non-distracting. Consider a candle or some other way to mark your time in and out.
• Subscribe to the “Word of the Day” (I would recommend choosing the inspired button) – you can subscribe by going to: https://grateful.org/practice/ .  It is free and sends one quote each day.  Begin your time in these steps by reading that word of the day and letting it sink in.

Step One: Embrace the Gift of Life

Ground yourself in this moment.  As you tune into your life – whatever may feel stable and whatever may feel overwhelming – acknowledge this fundamental truth: Your life is a precious gift.

Now reflect on these questions:

• Where might I be taking this gift for granted?
• How am I intentionally acknowledging and expressing what I am grateful for in my life?

Remember, how you respond to the gifts in your life is your choice. But the choice you make will shape your entire perspective and experience of whatever is before you.

Step Two: Remember the Good

Meaning is an “act of remembering”. Continue this practice by remembering what is good in your life.

First, think of a recent joy:

• What made this moment meaningful to you?
• How did this experience connect you to something larger than yourself?

Now recall a moment of difficulty in your life. Look deeper:

• Who or what supported you during that time?
• What goodness carried you through that challenge?
• What strength or wisdom did you discover within yourself?

As you remember these experiences, notice how meaning reveals itself not in the events themselves, but in your perspective and the good that you recognize within them.

Step Three: Discover Meaning in the Present

Finally, turn your attention to this very moment. Look around you with fresh eyes:

• What do you see, hear, or feel that you’re grateful for right now?
• Where do you sense an invitation to respond to life with purpose?

Remember, meaning isn’t something you need to chase or manufacture. It’s already here, waiting to be discovered. Your task is simply to notice and appreciate it.

May this practice serve as a gentle reminder to pause, reflect, and discover the meaning within and around you. Your life is speaking. How are you listening?