By Jo Forrest
Remember the sacred, childhood promises you sealed with a pinky swear? Or maybe you cut your finger and exchanged red droplets to be blood siblings. Eww.
In college, perhaps you publicized your romance by exchanging fraternity lavaliers and pins or you might let a sweetheart wear your letter jacket.
Later, we sealed commitments with rings.
From our earliest days, we craft rituals and symbols to signify a relationship blossoming from affection and loyalty, maybe even exclusivity.
Even these elaborate and public displays might fall apart or allow the other person to presume the wrong thing. We create and execute contracts, pre- and post-nuptial, to define
the boundaries of our commitments.
Don’t we just want people to do what they promise to do? The season of Lent invites us to consider how we live into the promises God makes to us, even before Jesus’ ministry, in the various covenants – and if we need to change our ways of living.
Following this strand through the texts might be especially applicable during the season when many of us make promises – no chocolate, fasting on Fridays, abstaining from social media – that will prove to us yet again that we desperately need a God who is better at keeping promises than we are.
God makes promises to us. Although there is some expectation of responsibility on the part of humanity, ultimately God makes the promises and God keeps them. Join in worship and the various ministries at Westminster as we explore this good news.
Welcome the Rev. Laura Bentley
Laura is excited to join the Westminster community to serve as parish associate. She is passionate about helping people feel connected to one another and to God in their ordinary, everyday lives. She is a 2016 graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and was ordained in 2017 as a PC(USA) Minister of Word and Sacrament. She was ordained as the pastor of a new worshiping community, and most recently served as an associate pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church. She strives to bring creativity and warmth to all she does in ministry, as well as a good dose of humor and flexibility.
Laura has found ministry most meaningful as she has walked alongside folks in transitions, whether celebratory or challenging. She feels called to discover God’s abiding presence amid change and uncertainty, and to cultivate a community of care in the church that truly grieves and rejoices together. We never walk the path of faith alone, and whether it is in worshiping together, sharing a meal, or exchanging a text, Laura’s desire as a pastor is to deepen our ties as a community and to deepen our trust in God’s love and grace.
Laura lives in Mount Lebanon with her husband, Ed, two children, Junia (8) and Oscar (4), and two dogs, Calvin and Waffles. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and reading good books while sipping good coffee.