Anyone in the market for a new home can either: reject what they see, purchase the home as is or remodel it so that it meets the needs of your family. Two summers ago, HGTV (Home & Garden TV) became one of our favorite channels to watch as a family since adding cable television to our home. There’s something fascinating about a home improvement show that takes a rundown house and is reworked into a dream home. The interior, exterior and the landscaping are completely and magically made-over in an hour span (I wish it was that easy).

Especially, when we look in history-rich areas, reworking older buildings has a way of connecting the past with the present. Transforming existing structures transports us to a different time and culture.

Whether we call it reworking, or a remodel or renovation, there’s something rich about preserving the history and tradition of those who have come before us while contemporizing it to fit our context and situations.

You’ll notice that each Sunday we gather to take part in liturgical-style worship. We have been experimenting with liturgical elements, including communal readings from Scripture and the Book of Common Prayer. We believe that well-crafted prayers and songs can highlight truths being taught, penetrate our conscience, and have an ongoing impact on our lives, continuing to challenge and encourage us in everyday discipleship.

You’ll also notice many of the songs we sing on Sunday are rich in content, many of them written a couple or more centuries ago. As Christians we simply cannot ignore our glorious heritage. These timeless songs unite generations of people of God who have sung the same lyrics to the same tune. My favorite are reworked hymns, old hymns put to modern worship song movement.

You’ll also notice that we keep track of time and seasons of the year by using calendars that provide us opportunities to observe, commemorate, and celebrate certain events or occasions. As the 40-day journey through Lent that began with Ash Wednesday comes to a close, it means the celebration of Easter and a risen Savior is around the corner.

The final week of Lent that leads up to Easter (also referred to as Holy Week or Passion Week), Christians read and reflect on the events that Jesus went through during the final days before his arrest and crucifixion. I would love to invite you to our two services: Good Friday and Easter as we celebrate the work of our Lord, both in His death and resurrection.