Lent
Sundays 8:30a & 10:30a
Ash Wednesday: February 18th 10:30a & 6:30p (Soup Supper at 5:30p)
Mid-week: Wednesdays 10:30a & 6:30p (Soup Supper at 5:30p)
What is Lent?
Early in the Church's history, the major events in Christ's life were observed with special observances, such as His birth, baptism, death, resurrection and ascension. As these observances developed, a period of time was set aside prior to the major events of Jesus' birth and resurrection as a time of preparation.
During Lent, the Church's worship assumes a more penitential character. The color for the season is purple, a color often associated with penitence. The "Hymn of Praise" is omitted from the liturgy. The word "Alleluia" is usually omitted as well. By not using the alleluia--a joyful expression meaning "Praise the Lord"--until Easter, the Lenten season is clearly set apart as a distinct time from the rest of the year. Additionally, it forms a powerful contrast with the festive celebration of Jesus' resurrection when our alleluias ring loud and clear.
Finally, the penitential character of Lent is not its sole purpose. In the ancient Church, the weeks leading up to Easter were a time of intensive preparation of the candidates who were to be baptized at the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday. This time in the Church's calendar was seen as an especially appropriate time for Baptism because of the relationship between Christ's death and resurrection and our own in Holy Baptism (see Romans 6:1-11). This focus would suggest that the season of Lent serves not only as a time to meditate on the suffering that Christ endured on our behalf, but also as an opportunity to reflect upon our own Baptism and what it means to live as a child of God.
Do you have lenten services?
Yes we do. We have our usual services on Sunday mornings with a Traditional Service at 8:30am and a Contemporary Service at 10:30am. During the six weeks of Lent, we are diving into the Book of Job as we look at “Detour Ahead: How to Handle Life’s Unexpected Events”.
Ash Wednesday is February 18th with services at 10:30am and 6:30pm in the Worship Center. There will be Imposition of Ashes and Holy Communion. Soup supper will be provided before the evening service from 5:30pm-6:30pm. We also have mid-week services the following Wednesdays with a service at 10:30am in the Worship Center, Soup Supper at 5:30pm, and a Family Worship Activity at 6:30pm in the gym. We are looking at “Talks with Jesus” as our focus. All morning services will be livestreamed and available to watch on our YouTube page.
Sign up for our Lenten Devotions
This year, congregation members and staff wrote a devotional for the season of Lent. There are paper copies available in the entryway of the Worship Center or you can click the link below and get a daily devotion sent right to your email inbox!