Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our Lenten journey towards Easter. The Westside 6 United Methodist congregations are worshiping together this evening, 7:00 pm at Salem. All are welcome. As we begin Lent today, the following is from the church's liturgy:

INVITATION TO THE OBSERVANCE OF LENTEN DISCPLINE 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence, fasting, and prayer. This season of forty days provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for baptism into the body of  Christ. It was also a time when those who had committed serious sins and had been separated from the community of faith were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. The whole congregation was thus reminded of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ and the need we all have to renew our baptismal faith. 

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Lord, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; and by reading and meditating on the Word of God. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now bow before the Lord, our Maker and Redeemer.

Comments

  1. John LoukMarch 28, 2011 at 4:56 PM

    We had over 230 people at the Ash Wednesday worship service. Way to go, Westside 6!

    ReplyDelete

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