Lent (n) -- The period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to the celebration of Easter.  A time of preparation, personal reflection and repentance.

These 40 days are symbolic of Jesus' 40 days spent in the wilderness, praying and seeking his purpose before beginning his public ministry.  In setting aside 40 days for spiritual reflection, we are imitating Jesus (which is, after all, the whole point of following the Christian Way).  The earliest Christians used these 40 days to instruct new converts and prepare them for baptism.  Ideally, these weeks of Lent will prpare us for letting go of the past and embracing new life.

ASH WEDNESDAY (February 6) begins the season of Lent, and we will mark this day with an Ash Wednesday Worship Service at 7:00pm in our church sanctuary.  This will be a time of prayer and reflection, of repentance and forgiveness--a time for remembering that our lives belong first to God.

HOLY COMMUNION EACH SUNDAY during Lent will provide the opportunity to deepen our spiritual relationship with God through the celebration of the Lord's Supper.  February 10 we will receive Holy Communion during the worship service; the following Sundays those who wish to receive Communion will be invited to stay after the worship service to do so.  Our Communion Table is open to everyone--anyone who wishes to receive the sacrament is welcome.

HOLY WEEK is always a deeply meaningful time at GMUMC.  On Maundy Thursday (March 20) we will share in a Passover Seder Meal, remembering Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples.  On Good Friday (March 21) we will hold a Tenebrae Service (the Service of Shadows), commemorating Christ's trial and crucifixion.  Both of these events lead us down the path of Jesus, and prepare us for the celebration to come.

EASTER SUNDAY will be a joyous celebration at both 8:00am and 10:15am.

I pray that you will walk the path of faith through these days of Lent. 

and I hope you will be a joyful part of our community of faith--

Blessings and Peace,

Pastor Jean Schwien