The Desert Has Many Teachings
by Mechthild of Magdeburg

In the desert,
Turn toward emptiness,
Fleeing the self.
Stand alone,
Ask no one’s help,
And your being will quiet,
Free from the bondage of things.

Those who cling to the world,
Endeavor to free them;
Those who are free, praise.
Care for the sick,
But live alone,
Happy to drink from the waters of sorrow,
To kindle Love’s fire
With the twigs of a simple life.
Thus you will live in the desert

• Worship:  8:00 a.m. Spoken Eucharist and 10:15 a.m. Choral Eucharist in the Church; Creative Holy Play for preschool through pre-teen during the 10:15 a.m. service. Lessons can be found here.
• Choir Rehearsal:  9:00 a.m. in the Church
• The Forum:  9:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room. This week, Rev. Claire will offer a brief reflection on her recent trip to Pakistan before we continue with a wonderful Great Course, The Spiritual Brain: Science and Religious Experience. This week's episode looks at "The Believing Brain." All are welcome!
• Youth Group:  meets after the 10:15 a.m. service.
• Coffee Hour:  in the Parish Hall following the 10:15 service
• Outreach Committee:  11:45 a.m. in the Conference Room
• Convivium Rehearsal:  5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall
• CSA Food Drive:  Donations can be dropped off at either service. CSA is in need of healthy and nutritious non-perishable items, including boxes of cereal, oatmeal, pop-top canned food items, flour, oil, condiments, salad dressings, etc. CSA no longer wants bulk packaged items that they have to divide out into individual packages. Please keep items to individual family sized packaging.

Upcoming Events

Still I Rise: A Program for International Women's Day - Saturday
The next offering in our Living Harmony: Arts at Christ Episcopal Church concert series will be on Saturday, March 9 at 4:00 p.m. in the Church, followed by a reception in the Narthex. Celebrate International Women's Day in song and story with the uplifting and virtuosic voices of Convivium. Inspired by Maya Angelou's beloved poem "Still I Rise," the program weaves together music by some of today's leading female composers with  poetry by women of color. The music includes Melissa Dunphy's powerful reflection on the immigrant experience, American DREAMers; Anna Thorvaldsdottir's stunning setting of an old Icelandic psalm; and works by Meredith Monk, Rosephanye Powell, Elizabeth Alexander, and Ysaÿe M. Barnwell. We are looking for volunteers to bring a small savory or sweet treat to share for the post-concert reception. Please email Eric Tuan if you can bring something (eric@ccla.us).

Additional Saturday, March 9, Events You May Be Interested In:

• Cantabile Youth Singers' Northern Lights Gala Concert. The Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley use our parish hall for rehearsals on Monday and Thursday evenings, and Eric Tuan, our music director, has composed a piece for them which they will premiere at an upcoming choral convention. Their annual Gala Concert, Dinner and Fundraising Auction will be this Saturday, March 9, at 6:00 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
• Annual Faith & Innovation Conference - The Wealth Gap Seeking a Vision for Human Flourishing in the Midst of Abundance and Scarcity. Saturday, March 9, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church, Saratoga. Learn more and register here. 
• Hollow Hills & Holy Places: A Celtic Reflection on Justice in Our Modern World, Saturday, March 9, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Center for Spiritual Living San Jose. Join brothers Owen & Mícheál (Moley) O Súilleabháin for an evening of entertainment and education on how to bring thousands of years of Celtic tradition to bear on our Modern World. Tickets can be purchased here.

CSA Empty Bowls Soup Supper XXVIII
Homelessness affects many people in our community. Empty Bowls Soup Supper provides a unique and cost-effective opportunity for us to help. On Sunday, March 10, Community Services Agency (CSA) will be hosting the 2019  Empty Bowls Soup Supper. Join us for soup, salad, cake and beverage and take home an original handcrafted ceramic bowl! This popular community event will be held at the Central Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1425 Springer Road, Mountain View. New this year, there will be two seatings, 3:00-4:30 p.m. and 5:00-6:30 p.m. Early bird ticket rates through February 28 (prices increase $5 on March 1): $25 for seniors; $35 adults and teens 12+; $10 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased here. Funds raised benefit CSA’s Homeless Prevention Services Program.

Dust Thou Art: A Lenten Study on Living and Dying Well
Wednesdays in the Parish Hall
At the heart of our Ash Wednesday liturgy is the imposition of ashes, when a priest smudges our foreheads with soot in the sign of the cross saying, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." It is a reminder of our mortality, our fragility, and our finiteness as creatures of earth and Spirit. As an Easter people, a people of hope, what does our faith tell us about death and dying? What did Jesus teach about eternal life? What does our tradition tell us about living well when "in the midst of life we are in death"? Join us this Lent for an illumination and inspiring discussion of ultimate ends and new beginnings, deaths and rebirths, and the promise of new life in Christ. The series will be led by our own Rev. Claire as well as three of our affiliate clergy: The Rev. John Buenz, The Rev. Julie Nelson, and The Rev. Kacei Conyers. We begin with a simple soup supper at 6:00pm and will conclude with a simply liturgy just after 7:30pm. All are welcome!  

Wednesday, March 13: This Earthly Pilgrimage 
Led by the Rev. Claire Dietrich Ranna
The burial liturgy found in the Book of Common Prayer includes a prayer in which we thank God for the gift of the life of the departed, who was given to us "as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage." Christianity has long taught that our lives begin in and end with God; our life cycle envisioned as the ultimate journey of return to our source and sustainer. In the first week of our Lenten Study, Rev. Claire will introduce the themes of the series and offer an overview of the theology of death and dying. This evening also will include time for self-reflection and sharing around the questions and concerns this topic raises in each of us and will conclude with a simple liturgy.

Sign up to bring soup - we still need one soup for March 27, April 3 and April 10, and bread for March 17 and April 10. You can sign up with Patti White on Sundays at church or via email (pattipwhite@gmail.com).

Lent Fellowship Event:  Dessert and a Movie
It seems that giving up chocolate, or sweets, has become a common Lenten discipline. But what if chocolate made all the difference in a Lenten season? Come and see the story unfold in the 2000 film Chocolat, as an expert chocolatier opens a Chocolaterie in an uptight small French village just as Lent begins. Watch what happens in the village between the beginning of Lent and Easter; can chocolate be transformative? Bring a dessert, bottle of wine, or non-alcoholic drink to share, and join us on Saturday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Screening of the movie Chocolat will start at 7:30 p.m. Chocolat is rated PG-13 for a scene of sensuality and some violence.

Ventana Annual Spring Social & Auction
Saturday, April 6, 5:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall
The parents of Ventana School cordially invite you to our literary Spring Social, One for the Books. As cherished members of our community, we hope that you will join us to celebrate the school that we have grown together. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner, raffle, and auction. Tickets are available here , and a special VIP ticket price is available for Christ Church parishioners using the coupon code VIP2019 ($115 for an individual, $890 for a table). Guests are encouraged to dress up as a literary character. 

If You Cannot Attend, Please Consider Other Means of Support. Contact the Auction Committee to donate items for the auction, including vacation rentals, travel vouchers, event tickets, professional services, one-of-a-kind experiences, and more. You can also Sponsor a Ticket for a staff member to attend the Spring Social.

We Also Invite Individuals or Businesses to Sponsor Our Event.
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone Sponsorship Level ($2,500) - Cocktail named in your honor, 2 bottles of wine for your table, 2 tickets to the Spring Social
Captain Underpants Sponsorship Level ($1,000)- 2 bottles of wine for your table
Cat in the Hat Sponsorship Level ($500)

Announcements