Shalom (Hebrew, noun): peace, wholeness, completeness: a state of being unbroken

In Hebrew, a noun describes a person, place, or thing in action. Shalom is much bigger than a state of peace. Shalom symbolizes wholeness and completeness – a glorious state where nothing is broken, nothing is missing. It’s a concept that reaches far beyond tranquility; it’s about the perfect order of things, the way the universe hums when every part functions as it should, the movement of God in the world. God is always at work “shaloming”, always making things whole. 

This Lent, we will tell ordinary stories of people seeking (and sometimes failing to find) wholeness, in areas of our lives that have often been broken or made to be distant from each other. We will take each broken piece, hold it up, look at it, and place it back together, weaving what was broken into something whole, the way God has always intended us to be. 

During our litany each week, our communal response to the words the pastors say will be the Hebrew words: “Sim Shalom” (pronounced: seem shaw lome) This phrase is a part of a Hebrew blessing/prayer that means “grant us peace.” We know that shalom doesn’t only mean peace but more a kind of wholeness, so in this litany we are praying weekly for God to bring wholeness to our broken and fractured selves, community, and world. 

Our Lenten Worships will be at 6:30 PM starting on Wednesday, February 14th. After Worship, there will be an opportunity for small group discussion while our Youth do their mentoring discussions.