Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter and commemorates the Maundy (foot washing) and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.

The service held on the evening of Maundy Thursday begins the Easter Triduum which signifies the passion, death and Resurrection of Christ over Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.

The Maundy Thursday service is held in the evening as the Last Supper was held on the feast of Passover – according to Jewish tradition, Friday begins on Thursday night.

Today, we celebrate Maundy Thursday with a evening service of Worship and Communion.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and celebrates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

When Jesus descends from the Mount of Olives, he enters Jerusalem on a donkey as crowds of lay their cloaks and small branches of trees on the ground to welcome his arrival.

At the time, it was customary to cover (in some way) the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honor.

The palm branch became a symbol of Christian martyrs and their victory over death whereas the donkey was considered an animal of peace (as opposed to the animal of war, the horse).

Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday by hosting a breakfast and then handing out palm branches to our congregation during Sunday Worship.

Lent

Lent is a period of preparation lasting approximately six weeks and, ultimately, ending with the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Lent is traditionally described as lasting for forty days to symbolize the time Jesus spent in the desert fasting and enduring temptation by the Devil before he started his public ministry. It traditionally starts on Ash Wednesday and finishes on Easter Sunday.

There are actually 46 calendar days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, but there are 6 Sundays during Lent, which are are not counted towards the “40 days”.

During Lent, we prepare by prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial with many fasting or giving up certain luxuries as a form of penitence. Some abstain from eating meat for the season, except for fish on Fridays.

Within the season of Lent, we observe several important days:

• 1^st Sunday in Lent:   The disposition of ashes and Communion.
• 5^th Sunday:    Passion Sunday.
• 6^th Sunday:    Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.
• Wednesday in Holy Week:    Holy Wednesday.
• Thursday in Holy Week:    Maundy Thursday and Communion.
• Friday in Holy Week:    Good Friday.
• Saturday in Holy Week:   The Great Vigil of Easter.
• Sunday in Holy Week:    Easter and the end of Lent.

Easter Event Schedule

Here’s a handy schedule of all of our Easter events during Lent and leading to Easter.

Click on the links to be directed to the Facebook Page Event.

 

• 3/9 – First Sunday of Lent with Lenten Communion and the Disposition of Ashes
• 3/13 – 1st Lenten Supper – St. Mary’s, Freeport
• 3/20 – 2nd Lenten Supper – Freeport Methodist Church
• 3/27 – 3rd Lenten Supper – Sower’s Chapel (Sarver)
• 4/3 – 4th Lenten Supper – Slate Lick United Presbyterian
• 4/10 – 5th Lenten Supper – Freeport Presbyterian Church
• 4/6 – Easter Cantata (Morning Presentation)
• 4/6 – Easter Cantata (Evening Presentation)
• 4/13 – Palm Sunday Fishing Tournament
• 4/13 – Palm Sunday Breakfast
• 4/13 – Palm Sunday Worship
• 4/17 – Maundy Thursday Communion
• 4/17 – Maundy Thursday Worship
• 4/20 – Easter Sunrise Worship
• 4/20 – Easter Sunday Worship

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and derives its name from the practice of place ashes on the forehead or on the back of the hand in the form of a cross.

It is a fast day and a day of mourning for our sin and the sin of all humanity before God. It is also a recognition of our human mortality and a request that the Lord remember our creation and breathe new life into our burned-out, dusty lives once more.

Our Lenten Journey

Friends in Christ, every year before the Christian Passover, we celebrate our redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lent is the time to prepare for this celebration and to renew our life in the Paschal mystery.

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes. This ancient sign speaks to the frailty and uncertainty of human like and marks the penitence of this community. We thus begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You are invited to observe a holy Lent by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by works of love and by reading and meditating on the Word of God. 

 

Lenten Preparations: Supper Go Round

The topic this year for our Lenten Preparations will be “Walking with the Living Christ”.

The meal will begin at 6.15pm and the meditation will begin at 7pm on each Thursday during Lent.

The cost will be $3 per person or $6 per family.

• 3/13: St. Mary’s – Rev. Page Creech
• 3/20: Freeport United Methodist – Rev. Mark Davis
• 3/27: Sowers Chapel – Rev. Johnston
• 4/3: Slate Lick United Presbyterian – Rev. Father Voltz
• 4/10: Freeport Presbyterian – Rev. Jim Young