Announcements

There will be a worship service on Ash Wednesday, February 22, with imposition of ashes at 7:30 p.m. What is the significance of placing ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday?

“The imposition of ashes on the foreheads of Christians is an ancient Christian practice, going back at least to the 10th century. Biblically, ashes are symbols of purification and penitence (see Numbers 19:9,17; Hebrews 9:13; Jonah 3:6; Matthew 11:21; and Luke 10:13 ).

“Beginning in the tenth century, the observance of Ash Wednesday became a general rite for the church. The ashes, which were a symbol of purification in the Old Testament, remind us that we are mortal. In many churches the ashes are made by burning the palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday. Ashes are placed on the forehead, usually in the sign of a cross, in a ritual known as the Imposition of Ashes. As the ashes are placed on the forehead, words such as these are spoken: ‘Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,’ recalling God’s words to Adam in Genesis 3:19.”

—Lynn W. Gilliam, Editor of Pockets, The Upper Room From the United Methodist Church web site

Hold time now to prepare for Easter with these meditations on the seven Last Words of Christ, accompanied by reflection questions and prayer to help deepen Holy Week’s meaning. Books are available for purchase. Sign up in the Narthex for a study group. Questions: Contact Julia Hooper.

The Church and Society Ministry Group is hosting a four session study group on Immigration on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. February 26 – March 18. The study will be led by Rev. Michael Mann, Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this course we will hear the story, both Biblical and historical, of those who immigrate to new lands. We will be using the book Welcoming the Stranger as the basis for discussion. All perspectives are welcome in this discussion-oriented study. For more information or to get a copy of the study guide, contact Sydney Whitley. The class will meet in the dining room February 26, March 11 and March 18. On March 4 the class will meet in Fellowship Hall.

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means “spring.” The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan.

Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter” and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.

From the United Methodist Church web site at UMC.org