A Lenten Reflection by Ebbie Bulach
March 23, 2022
The season of lent is a time of preparation and mourning for us members of the Christian faith for the suffering that our saviour Jesus Christ had to endure in order to sacrifice his life for our sins, over two thousand years ago. ("Passions Zeit")-Regarding lent, we are reminded that our congregation was started in 1886 by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland. All church activities were conducted in their native language until the onset of WWI in 1914. German services were resumed after 1918 until the start of WWII in 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. When I arrived here in 1951, the only German language services were held on Good Friday ("Karfreitag") and Christmas ("Weihnachten"). This tradition is still supported by our church with considerable interest. I'm happy to report!
Today, we are helplessly watching innocent women and children becoming victims of a horrible, bloody war started 3 weeks ago by scrupulous communist, in the European country of Ukraine. It is agonizing to see the fear and desperation in the eyes of the civilians having to flee their homes and homeland while they are being strafed, bombed, and starved, by that heartless Russian dictator. (this event brings back horrible memories of WWII, 80 years ago, when I myself was hugging other children and parents in stuffy, overcrowded air-raid shelters, often without food, water or electricity, praying and hoping to breath fresh air again and see another day, while growing up near Stuttgart.)
Thankfully, we at St. Paul's UCC, being about 8000 miles removed from that area, concerned and helpless, but we can and must pray and hope that this horrific destruction of humanity, nature and environment be ended as quickly as it started, for the preservation of our world community!
As we at St.Paul's UCC prepare for the Lenten Season and Easter, we thank God for all the blessings we receive on a daily basis and take for granted. We are grateful to live in a free country, where our lives are not interrupted by those daily, nerve wrecking air-raid sirens and bomb explosions which those defenseless Ukrainians have to endure. That we are not exposed to those horrible noises of death and destruction in that war zone! --- for everything, there is a season! - Ecl.3-v.1-8