The Season of Lent
Lent is a season of self-examination and transformation. We work “to make a right beginning of repentance” by asking God for forgiveness, while we create space to explore Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Saint Luke’s invites you this season to join in worship and study.
“Come and See” to learn how these 40 days, focusing on the saving work of our Lord, wonderfully builds our relationship with God our Creator.
Worship and Study
Ash Wednesday On this first day of Lent, we begin the season in worship with the imposition of ashes reminding us “that we are dust and to dust we shall return.” There are three worship opportunities open to all. The 7 a.m. early service and noon service are short and sweet. Our 5:30 p.m. evening service will have a choir and we will share the Eucharist.
Mid-Week Evening Worship
Wednesday evenings during Lent we will gather for Evening Prayer at 5:30, followed by a short Eucharist and a scriptural reflection on “Traveling the Footsteps of Jesus.” On Wednesday evenings following the service Polly will offer a short film series with discussion on the Holy Land–we will order food and be very casual.
Sunday Worship and Christian Formation (aka Sunday School)
On Sundays we share Holy Communion at 10:15 a.m. followed by Coffee and Fellowship. During Lent, our “Coffee Talk” will invite participants to further their journey with Christ by exploring the themes of renewal, change, blessed remembering, and compassion.
Fridays in Lent We join the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH for Fridays during Lent to study and reflect on the Holy Land. “Traveling” through key places and episodes beginning in Bethlehem and leading to Holy Week in Jerusalem, we reflect on the scriptural stories, telling how and where they happened. This program is:
- Down-to-earth: The story of God’s saving work for us is wonderfully earthy from start to finish. That is what makes this narrative powerfully pertinent. We too live down-to-earth lives. At Christmas we celebrated that our Lord came down to us in the flesh. In Lent we hear what happened afterwards.
- Relevant Amidst ongoing strife and current war: We look at what is happening today in Bethlehem, Nazareth, the Jordan River, Jericho, Capernaum, and Jerusalem.
Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church and First United Methodist Church
Fridays in Lent 2024 Schedule
Our season of Lent follows Jesus on his journey to the cross. We will look at key places and experiences beginning in Bethlehem and leading to Holy Week in Jerusalem. As we do, we will not only look at the Biblical texts, but also look at what is happening today.
Noon Lunch, followed by prayer and program in fellowship hall of each church.
February 23 @ St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Bethlehem: The birthplace of Jesus and now site of the Church of the Nativity. This town is part of the West Bank which means it is governed by the Palestinian Authority
March 1 @ United Methodist Church Nazareth: The home of Joseph and Mary’s family and the town where Jesus grew up. Hear about the Basilica of the Annunciation, most recent archaeological findings, and wonder why people asked, “What good can come from Nazareth?”
March 8 @ St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Jordan River: Site of Jesus’ baptism by John which inaugurated Jesus’ ministry. Israeli soldiers guard the east side of the river and Jordanian soldiers guard the west side while tourists on both sides are baptized in or just get down in the water to experience this sacred place.
March 15 @ St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Jericho: “The oldest city in the world,” Jesus departure point into the wilderness after his baptism. The city’s fountains reveal that Jericho flourished for millennia, an oasis surrounded by dry lands. Jericho resides in the West Bank territory governed by the Palestinian Authority.
March 22 @ United Methodist Church Capernaum: A fishing village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus began his itinerant ministry. Peter’s home in the first century, where now stands St. Peter’s Church.
March 29 @ United Methodist Church. Jerusalem: A holy city for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Holy Week began on Palm Sunday as Jesus descended down the Mount of Olives and entered into Jerusalem, the City of David. The old walled city, full of ancient architecture and history is now divided into Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim quarters. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher contains Golgotha/Calvary where Jesus was crucified and the tomb where he was buried and from which he was resurrected.