|
|
|
 Sunday Services Lectionary Communion Worship Settings Child Care Lenten Services Holy Week Services Christmas Services ELC Home Page |
The Season of Lent consists of the forty-day period which begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Great Vigil of Easter. Sundays are not included in this count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of Jesus' resurrection. The forty-day time frame is a recurring theme which represents spiritual discipline, devotion, and preparation in the Bible. Moses stayed on Mt. Sinai 40 days when he received the Ten Commandments from God (Exodus 24:18); Israel wandered for 40 years in the wilderness after leaving Egypt; Elijah traveled 40 days before he reached the cave in Mt. Horeb where he beheld the "Still Small Voice" of God (I Kings 19); and Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness praying and fasting before beginning his ministry (Matthew 4:1-11). Because of Lent's penitential nature, worship tends to be more solemn, and purple is the liturgical color of the season. Emmanuel, like many other ELCA congregations, holds special mid-week worship services and promote other devotional activities to help our members concentrate on the Lenten disciplines of fasting, almsgiving (charity) and prayer. ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE -- Wednesday, February 6th, 7:00 pm Holy Communion distributed at this service Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. On this day, Christians focus on their complete sinfulness and the necessity of Christ's suffering and death to insure their salvation. Like many fellow Christians throughout the world, Emmanuel has had a long tradition of the imposition of ashes at this service. Ashes are referred to many times in the Old Testament as signs of sorrow, mourning, humility, and repentance, and on Ash Wednesday they are used to remind people of their mortality -- that "you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). In this custom, ashes are mixed with a small amount of oil and applied to the forehead of each worshipper. LENTEN SERVICES WEDNESDAY EVENINGS, 7:00 pm February 13, 20, 27; March 6, 13 No communion; No child care We will going along the way of Christ's cross this Lenten season. The journey will be a time of reflection as we ask ourselves deep questions about life and faith. The journey will be based upon The Stations of the Cross. Services will be held in different areas of the building to help each person experience a journey towards spiritual renewal. Church groups and organizations offer an opportunity for fellowship by sponsoring dinners before each service (except Ash Wednesday). Dinners are served between 5:30 and 6:30; there is a nominal charge to defray costs and/or fund raise for the sponsoring /preparing group. Some material Adapted from "What is Lent?", ELCA web site |