The Season of Lent begins this week. Lent is that period of 40 days plus 6 Sundays that spans from Ash Wednesday up to Easter Sunday. The practice of observing Lent goes back many centuries. The early Christians observed with great devotion the days of the Lord's passion and resurrection. It became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration, there should be a forty-day season of spiritual preparation. Forty days was specifically chosen because Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness when he was tempted by the Devil. Sundays were not counted during this season, since Sundays were understood to be "little Easters," set-apart for celebrating Christ's resurrection.
During Lent in the early Church, converts to the faith were prepared for the sacrament of Holy Baptism. It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins and had separated themselves from the community of faith were reconciled by repentance and forgiveness and restored to participation in the life of the Church. In this way the congregation would be reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need all of us have to renew our faith.
Things have changed since the early days of the Church. Yet the season of Lent is still a time for renewing our relationship with God. At McMurry, we have a number of opportunities planned to help you in your Lenten journey. We begin a day before Ash Wednesday with our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, tonight (February 17) from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Shrove Tuesday is named after the practice of "shriving", or confessing sins, before the start of Lent. The tradition of having pancakes on the Tuesday before Lent goes back to the 16th Century. Pancakes were seen as an easy way to use up the eggs, milk, and butter that many people gave up during Lent.
Lent officially starts tomorrow, February 18. We will have an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. During this service we will have the opportunity to receive ashes on our foreheads as a symbol of our mortality and our need to repent. We will also celebrate Holy Communion. The choir will be singing, and this will be a special service to mark the beginning of Lent.
Other Lenten activities at McMurry include: Monday book study in the morning and evening, Wednesday night vesper services of prayer and Holy Communion, Palm Sunday, an Easter egg hunt, joint services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter sunrise with the people of Avondale UMC. And of course, we will have an exciting day of praise and jubilation on Easter as we celebrate with hallelujahs the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Look for details about these and other McMurry events in the Chimes, our weekly Sunday bulletins, and on Facebook. We look forward to seeing all of you at these opportunities to grow closer to God and one another during the Season of Lent. Be sure to tell your friends and relatives so that they too may share in the blessings of the Season. See you in church!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Clayton