What is Lent? Lent is a season in the Christian calendar for preparing for Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.  It is 6 weeks long, beginning on Ash Wednesday and concluding on Easter Sunday. The forty days of Lent is a time of introspection and intentionality, a time of looking more closely at all the ways habit, convenience, and distraction has crept into our spiritual lives and turned us away from God. Many Christians use the season of Lent to deepen their relationship with God through various spiritual practices. Lenten practices traditionally include fasting, prayer, increased attention to reading scripture, and service to others.   Fat Tuesday: Tuesday, February 13, 7:00 pm In French, it’s “Mardi Gras.” In English it’s “Fat Tuesday”—traditionally the last day Christians could eat sugary, fatty foods before fasting for the season of Lent. Whether or not you’re fasting for Lent, join us in the Fellowship Hall as we continue this ancient tradition with our Fat Tuesday Pancake Supper. We’ll be using an “open house” format, with food served from 5:30 to a little before 7:00 pm, so come whenever you can.   Ash Wednesday Service: Wednesday, February 14, 7:00 pm Please plan on joining us for our Ash Wednesday Service. The service will include music, prayer, a short sermon/reflection, communion and the option of receiving ashes. If you’ve never been to an Ash Wednesday Service we hope that you’ll try it this year!  It is a great way to prepare your spirit for the season of Lent.   Tuesday Lenten Book Study Series: Tuesdays, February 20 to March 20, 6:30 pm Our pastors Curt and Mollie will be co-leading our Lenten Study every Tuesday beginning February 20 through March 20. Marcus Borg’s 2014 book, Convictions: How I Learned What Matters Most has been called “a manifesto for all progressive Christians who seek the best path for following Jesus today.” Borg is a world-renowned theologian and author of more than a dozen books.  For five Tuesday evenings beginning February 20, we’ll explore what it means to live our convictions as progressive Christians. Chapter titles include: Faith is a Journey, Salvation Is More About This Life than an Afterlife, Jesus is the Norm of the Bible, and Christians are Called to Peace and Nonviolence. Copies are available online, in bookstores, and via Kindle. Please sign up at the welcome center. Contact Curt Preston or Mollie Landers Hatt for more information.   Holy Week: March 25 through April 1 Holy Week is the name given to the Biblical stories and services which lead up to Easter. It begins exactly a week before Easter on Palm Sunday. Holy Week is understood as the time in which the church marks and honors Jesus’ journey from entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the last supper on Thursday, to his death on the cross on Friday, to his resurrection on Easter Sunday.   Palm Sunday Service: Sunday, March 25, 10:15 am Palm Sunday worship service celebrates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We wave palms and sing joyfully as we recall the crowds’ joy at seeing Jesus! Following worship, we’ll enjoy a Potluck Brunch sponsored by the Fellowship Committee.   Maundy Thursday: Thursday, March 29, 6:00 pm On Holy Thursday, sometimes called “Maundy Thursday,” we recall the Last Supper, as well as the betrayal and arrest of Jesus. The word “Maundy” is rooted in the Latin word “mandatum” which means: “to give, to entrust, to order.” According to John’s gospel, on the night of the last supper, Jesus gives his disciples a commandment: “that you love one another; even as I have loved you, you also ought to love one another” (John 13:34). We begin at 6:00 pm with a frugal meal of soup and bread in the Fellowship Hall. At 7:30, we will move into the sanctuary for Communion and our Tenebrae Worship. Tenebrae means “Service of Shadows”, and is marked by 12 readings of scripture by candlelight and punctuated with music. After each reading, one candle is extinguished and the sanctuary becomes darker, concluding with complete darkness. This is often regarded as one of the most powerful worship services of the year. The Frugal Meal and Worship are separate events, so feel free to come to either or both of these offerings.   Easter Sunday Service: Sunday, April 1, 10:15 am Christ has risen! Easter is the high point in the Christian calendar and a day of great joy and celebration. Again this year, we will be creating a “living cross” as a symbol of resurrection and new life. All are invited to bring a flower to put on the cross following worship. We will have plenty of flowers available if you are unable to bring your own. Join us for worship beginning at 10:15 am, but we encourage you to arrive by 10:00 am as the sanctuary is usually very full this day.