Every year at Easter we celebrate with joy our redemption and renewal through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The season of Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration and to listen for the Spirit of God speaking, calling us to renew our faith us in this mystery.
Ash Wednesday is the special observance of the first day of Lent. We begin our journey through Lent by acknowledging our need for repentance and for the love and forgiveness shown to us in Jesus Christ.
As a sign of your repentance, you will be invited to come forward if you desire, to receive the imposition of ashes. Pastor Craig will trace the sign of the cross on your forehead with ashes, as an ancient symbol of humility and grief.
All baptized Christians are invited to partake in the Lord’s Supper. The celebration of the Lord’s Supper (also referred to as the Eucharist or Holy Communion) is our spiritual food for the pilgrimage that leads to the foot of the cross. The Lord’s Supper is to be for us the strengthening, nourishing table prepared in the midst of our enemies, assuring us that we can pass through the darkest valley without fear and find our place at the great resurrection feast in the house of the Lord.
All are invited, in the name of Christ, to observe a Holy Lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God’s Holy Word.