Lent Devotions
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 22nd. we invite you to join us for worship on Ash Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
As a community of faith we’ll be making the commitment to read a Lenten Devotion for each of the 40 days of Lent. Here is the link for the 40 Days of Lent Devotional: Easter Prayer and Scripture Reflections. Visit our Facebook page once a week one of the weekly devotions will be featured we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the reflection question.
Except from the UMCDiscipleship.org
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. The English word “Lent” comes from the Anglo–Saxon word lencten, which means “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of “spring.” In many other languages, the word used for this season refers to the 40-day length of the season (cuaresma in Spanish and Tagalog, carême in French, quaresimain Italian) or to the fasting that characterizes it (Fastenzeit in German, fastan in Swedish, paasto in Finnish, posta in Russian). The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter.
Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. The First Sunday describes Jesus’ temptation by Satan; and the Sixth Sunday (Passion/Palm Sunday), Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent passion and death. Note that the readings during Lent, until Passion/Palm Sunday, focus primarily on the meaning of baptism and discipleship, in continuity with the season’s original purpose. Because Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection.
