Lent and Holy Week at First Church
The forty days of Lent prepare us to live into the events at the end of Jesus’ life — his cross and rising. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Lenten worship faces us with our sins, and calls us to let God’s mercy change our hearts. The season is filled with images of wilderness, thirst, conflict, and healing. During Lent in the ancient Church, neophytes prepared for baptism with study, prayer, and fasting. Purple is Lent’s color, signifying repentance and conversion.
Ash Wednesday, February 17, at 8:00 p.m., in Lindsay Chapel
On this first night of Lent, we acknowledge our origins in the dust, our brokenness, and our dependence on God, and we receive ashes as a sign of mortality. Join us at 8:00 p.m. in Lindsay Chapel for worship and the Imposition of Ashes.
Lenten Jazz Service, Sunday, February 21, 5:00 p.m., MJH
Start Lent right with an evening of jazz worship and musical meditation. Pianist Carolyn Wilkins and her band will lead us through inspiring selections of African-American spirituals, Jazz standards, and Gospel songs. On this first Sunday of Lent, the service will have a contemplative feel and will call us into the Lenten journey. Come for the music! Come to hear a good and welcoming word! Come and break bread together, ready to join your hearts in prayer and song. The service is decidedly laid back and informal, so by all means come as you are! All are welcome!
Walking the Way, Sundays in Lent at 10:00 a.m., beginning February 21st, in the Hastings Room
One of the hymns we sing during the season of Lent opens with the words, “I want Jesus to walk with me.” What does it mean for us today to have Jesus by our side and to walk with him on our journey through life? What does it mean, especially in the season of Lent, to walk with Jesus on the road that leads to
In the first century, before our emerging tradition was called “Christianity,” Jesus’ followers spoke of their practice simply as “the Way.” Our 10:00 adult formation hours will provide an opportunity to explore this ancient path. We’ll take a look at the historical Jesus, explore what it means to be a disciple, to be in the world as Jesus was, learning from his example, opening our hearts to one another and to God, and walking the Way.
Adults and children are invited to spend one or all of the 10:00 formation hours in artistic expression of walking the Way. Sarah Fujiwara, Sarah Higginbotham, and Pam Cochrane will lead us in the creation of new fabric art for our Communion table, based on our Lenten theme. Enrich your intellectual study with some “hands-on” artwork that will result in a communally-created piece for our worship space.
On February 21st, we’ll all meet together in Margaret Jewett Hall to begin “walking the way” together. On the following four Sundays, February 28th, March 7th, 10th and 21st, we will split into two groups. A study and discussion group will gather in the Hastings Room while a hands-on, multigenerational experiential approach will be offered in Margaret Jewett Hall. Then, on March 28th, we’ll regather and share our experiences over a 10 am community wide Palm Sunday breakfast in MJH.
Bread for the Journey
On Wednesdays, February 24th, March 10th and March 24th, Dan and Nancy will be hosting Lenten dinners at the parsonage. All are welcome to gather and be nourished by good soup, good bread and good conversation. Come, sit by a fire, get to know each other better and share what it means for you be ""walking the way" during this Lenten season. Soup will be on as of 6 pm. Come early or late, right through 7:30. Come to one or come to all. Please RSVP to Dan or Nancy if you can (but feel free to show up even if you haven't!).
Palm Sunday Worship, March 28, 11:00 a.m. (Procession at 10:45 a.m. in MJH)
Last Sunday of Lent. We remember Jesus’ final entry into
Maundy Thursday, April 1,
We recall the new commandment Jesus gave his disciples, to love one another as he loved us. We also remember his last meal with his friends by celebrating Holy Communion. And in a darkened sanctuary we call to mind Jesus’ anguish and arrest in the
Good Friday, April 2,
We lament the world’s pain and injustice, and we honor the death of the Lord on the cross of shame.
Easter Sunday, April 4,
Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! We celebrate and rejoice in God’s gift of new life through the Resurrection of Jesus. With joy-filled worship and special music we lift up the good news that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ.
Easter Jazz Service, Sunday, April 4, 5:00 p.m., MJH
On Easter Sunday we’ll pull out the brass for a celebration of the new life and joy that dawn again on Easter day! Pianist Carolyn Wilkins and her band will lead us through inspiring selections of African-American spirituals, Jazz standards, and Gospel songs. Come for the music! Come and break bread together, ready to lift your voices, and join your hearts in prayer and song. The service is decidedly laid back and informal, so by all means come as you are! All are welcome!