Midweek Lenten Worship: Join us on Wednesday, March 1, 15, and 29, for a soup supper at 6:15 p.m., followed by a short worship service at 7:00 p.m.
Even though Ash Wednesday comes more often in February than it does in March, it still feels “early” to me, this year! But today we enter the liturgical season of Lent, a forty-day period during which we who follow Jesus devote more intentional time to reflection, repentance, and reformation: how closely do our lives align with what we understand to be the will of God? How closely do we pattern our conduct after the life of Christ? The forty-day span recalls Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2, Luke 4:1-2), as well as Moses’ forty-day fast on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28).
This past Transfiguration Sunday, at the end of our worship service, we “put away the ‘alleluia,’” following a centuries-old Lutheran Lenten tradition. We will not utter the word again until we celebrate Easter Sunday. The tone of Lenten worship changes somewhat, as well, becoming more penitential and reflective. Each Sunday service will begin with a sung confession, and we will encourage periods of silent reflection and prayer during the prelude and postlude.
We will have midweek soup supper-and-worship on March 1, 15, and 26. Supper begins at 6:15 p.m., and worship begins at 7:00 p.m. We’ll have sign-up sheets on the oak table for contributing soup and sides. On the Wednesdays in between – March 8 and 22 – I will offer a short online (Zoom) prayer service, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Email Pastor Marilyn for the link.
As you begin your own Lenten journey, there are many good resources to guide and accompany you. Below, I share a number of them. Peace and blessings – Pastor Marilyn
