Lent, Holy Week & Easter
Lent is a time of reflection on the sacrifices that God made so we could be reconciled with our creator.
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Ash Wednesday is the first of the forty days of Lent and named for the custom of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers. The ashes are a sign of penitence and a reminder of our mortality.
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Holy Week is the most sacred period of our Christian faith. It is a time when we gather together as a community of faith to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to stand with Him before his accusers; to walk to Golgotha, and stand at the foot of His cross. Holy Week included Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. This week challenges our expectations of what we typically see and hear at church. The mood can be somber. The alter looks different. The music is different. People in scripture are lying, fighting, and crying. We hear about all the doubt the disciples struggled with and are asked to acknowledge our own doubts as well. But, this is what reminds us that our Savior is fully God and fully human, that he shared our struggles, and that we will share in His victory.
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Palm Sunday commemorates the entrance of the Messiah into Jerusalem. The service begins with the Blessing of the Palms and the reading of the Gospel's account of how Jesus humbly rode on a donkey and His people honored him by laying the palms under His feet. The service includes the Passion story of Jesus' capture, suffering, and death
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Maundy Thursday begins the detailed story of Holy Week where we walk with Jesus on the night he was betrayed. In this special service, we share the gift of Holy Communion and remember Jesus humbly washing the feet of his disciples. These deeply moving actions give us a real experience of how powerful servant ministry can be. The service concludes with the stripping of the altar and all the decorative furnishing of the church as a symbolic representation of that final night.
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Good Friday the church mourns for Christ's death and marvels at His life for His obedience. The altar remains completely bare. It is a solemn reminder of exactly why Easter is such a joyful occasion.
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The Great Vigil of Easter is the link between the grief of Good Friday and the joy of Easter Day. The service begins in darkness and slowly moves into the light of the resurrection. Through this powerful liturgy, we recover the ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. The Vigil is where all our Lenten preparations lead us.
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Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and defines our faith as the people of a Lord who suffered yet overcomes death for our sake. Jesus' death and resurrection open for us a new life of grace. We have a new identity that is bigger than family, politics, or careers; yet shows us how to engage with all of these things more fully.
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Easter Day is the great feast day where the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated! Come and sing "Christ, Out Lord is Risen Today"