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March sits at the quiet edge of winter and spring. The light stretches a little longer each day, even if the cold refuses to fully let go. Into this in-between season, Lent arrives quietly, with a gentle invitation.

In her book When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd describes the hidden transformation of a caterpillar inside its cocoon. From the outside, nothing appears to be happening. It looks still, ordinary, unchanged And yet within that stillness, an astonishing work is unfolding. What looks like silence is actually deep formation. What feels like hiddenness becomes the shelter where new life takes shape.

Lent often feels like that. It is not a season of spiritual striving or religious performance. It is a season of allowing ourselves to be held, trusting that God is at work even when the evidence is not yet visible.

Through the prophet Isaiah, God speaks a promise that meets us in this quiet place: "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19) The new thing does not always announce itself with fanfare. It may begin in hidden places. Often, it takes root and grows in silence.

This Lent, we are intentionally making space for that kind of holy waiting.

In our Lenten Bible Study series, we are exploring the surprising and unsettling grace of God's kingdom, where fairness gives way to mercy, where our assumptions are gently undone, and where we learn to see God's generosity with fresh eyes. Together we wrestle with Scripture, ask honest questions, and allow the Word to shape us.

And on Sunday afternoons, we will gather for Space for Grace, a quieter offering of Scripture, reflection, prayer, and extended silence. It is a simple hour. No pressure. No performance. Just a place to pause, to breathe, and to remember that we are held closely as God's beloved children.

One gathering invites us into conversation with Scripture. The other invites us to sit quietly before it.

Both are ways of trusting that God is forming something new among us.

We live in a world that moves quickly and speaks loudly. Lent offers a different rhythm. It invites us not to hurry, but to rest, to allow ourselves to be shaped by grace.

Transformation rarely announces itself. It often happens in hidden places, in seasons of waiting, in quiet faithfulness. May this Lenten season be such a place for us, where, in the stillness, we discover that God is already doing a new thing.

Blessings, Pastor Sue

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SPACE FOR GRACE: A QUIET TIME FOR REFLECTION

During the season of Lent, the Reformed Church of Locust Valley invites you to Space for Grace, a contemplative worship gathering held on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm. in the Sanctuary.

Space for Grace is a quiet time shaped by Scripture, prayer, a brief reflection, and silence. It offers an opportunity to pause, to breathe, and to make room for God in the midst of busy lives.

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March 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd

All are welcome

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BIBLE STUDY

A Holy Conversation:

Learning to Notice What God is Doing

March 11th and 25th

3 pm – 4 pm

All are welcome

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