Festivals of our Faith - Lent 2011

During Lent, we are called to prepare our hearts to celebrate the holiest season of the year, the Easter season.  As we approach the season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on March 9, I want to share the following reflections on the season along with the calendar for Peace.  I hope you find them helpful.     

Ash Wednesday is so called because on that day we traditionally sign ourselves with ashes.  Ashes recall sackcloth and ashes, the ancient biblical sign of grief and repentance.  They also remind us of our mortality.  The oldest saying that went with the signing with ashes quoted God’s curse from Genesis 3:19, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  Thus in one sentence, we see not only our own lives, but also everyone else’s life all the way back to the beginning of salvation history. 

Our ancestors, and by extension, we ourselves, were formed from the dust of the earth by a loving God.  God created us, and because of the sacrifice of Christ our Savior, one day we will all share in the complete joy of God’s new creation.  We so easily forget where we are going.  We like to think that we are in charge of shaping our lives!  Ashes remind us that God plans our lives, and finally, the ceremony of ashes reminds us that we are all on this journey together.

Lent Services & Times

Peace has two services on Ash Wednesday, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.,
with a fellowship meal beginning at 5:15 p.m.

On the five Lenten Wednesdays following Ash Wednesday, we have the opportunity at Peace to share a fellowship meal and to focus on our spiritual journey together.  Our services will be based on the seven last words of Jesus mirroring the teaching in Adult Faith Sunday Morning Bible class each week. These words from the cross help us better understand who Jesus is and what He did for us. The midweek services all share a reflective mood and give us space in our busy week to sit with God’s Word. We also take this opportunity to hear the stories of Mission India and to assist our brothers and sisters there financially. 

This year, we invite families to sign up to usher for the Lenten Wednesday services.  This will involve welcoming people, passing out bulletins, and passing the plate.

Lenten theme: Words from the Cross
This Lenten season, we gather at the foot of the cross to hear what is on Jesus’ heart and mind as He brings His work of salvation to completion. Seven times Jesus speaks from the cross. Seven times our Savior reveals His intimate thoughts. Seven times we are given words that shape our understanding of who we are and what Jesus still does for us.

Sunday Bible Study and Wednesday Worship
Sunday Morning Adult Faith (9:45–10:40 am) will take an in-depth look at these seven last words of Christ in their original context. We will join our mediation on the words from the cross with specific psalms that help take us deeper into the meaning of the Passion.  You are invited to take these scriptures with you into your week as you set time aside to spend with God in His Word. Then join us for Wednesday worship at 7:00 pm as we continue to sit with those same scripture readings. Read more about our Lenten theme here. 

 Wednesday services begin at 7 p.m.; dinner begins at 5:30 p.m.;
families ushering need to gather for a brief orientation at 6:20 p.m.

On Palm Sunday, April 18, we enter into Holy Week.  On this Sunday, we remember Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, a triumph that will quickly turn to tragedy as most of those who cheered him that day later in the week scream, “Crucify him!”

Palm Sunday: we follow our regular service schedule for the weekend. 
It is a communion weekend.

Maundy Thursday, April 21, commemorates the great gift of the Lord’s Supper through which our sins are forgiven and we are united with our Lord and Savior and with one another. The name of this day comes from the great command (mandatum or mandate) Jesus gives to His disciples in the upper room: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Maundy Thursday: one service at 7 p.m.

On Good Friday, April 22, we recognize Christ’s gift of eternal life, gained for us through his suffering and death. The early evening service enables families to interact with the story of Good Friday together. The later hour celebrates a Tenebrae service, a service of shadows as we see the Passion story unfold before our eyes.

Good Friday:  family-oriented worship at 6 p.m. and Tenebrae worship at 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 24 – no greater joy can touch the Christian heart than to know that Jesus Christ is risen.  In his resurrection is the promise of our own!

Easter services: Saturday service, 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 6:30 a.m., with communion;   8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.  Easter breakfast will be served beginning after the 6:30 a.m. service.

On Ash Wednesday  we recall our creation from the dust of the earth.  On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and our future re-creation into a share of His glory.  Seven weeks will quickly pass.  Within them, let us reflect on the great mysteries of our faith.  Let us pray for each other as we serve our brothers and sisters during this sacred time!