Lent @ GUM
God of Justice, Savior to all, came to rescue the week and the poor. Chose to serve and not be served.
Jesus, You have called us. Freely we've received, now freely we will give.
We must go live to feed the hungry, Stand beside the broken, we must go.
Stepping forward keep us from just singing, move us into action, we must go.
To act justly every day, loving mercy in every way, walking humbly before You God...
-Tim Hughes "God of Justice"
...Words that should embody the purpose of Lent. A body of believers seeking God in a way that causes us not only to grow in our love for mercy and desire forgiveness for ourselves, but beyond that... propelling us into our communities... living to feed the hungry and stand beside the broken.
Holy Week at GUM Church
...Maundy Thursday
April 1: 7 – 9 PM
Join us for an evening of deep Lenten spirituality. Stations will be prepared for you to experience holy communion, singing, and guided meditation in fresh and deeply meaningful ways. Spaces will await you for quiet reflection, personal meditation, and God-seeking. Arrive anytime between 7 and 9PM. This is an open “come as you are, come when you can” event. Communion will be shared at the beginning of each hour.
...Good Friday Tenebrae Service
April 2: 7 PM
The word “tenebrae” comes from the Latin meaning “darkness.” The tenebrae is an ancient Christian Good Friday service that makes use of gradually diminishing light through the extinguishing of candles to symbolize the events of Holy Week from Palm Sunday through Jesus’ burial.
...Easter Celebration
April 4: 9:15 and 11 AM Worship Services
Easter is the most important festival in Christianity! On Easter we commemorate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Join us for the celebration!
...Lent
So, now the journey has begun. Lent. The purpose is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
You can read more for yourself about the purpose and background of Lent on Wikipedia. There is a particularly in-depth description of fasting, including its history and practice.
Dan Wilt, M.Min. is the founder of WorshipTraining.com. Drawing from Robert Webber's (Ancient Future Time) material and ancient sources, Dan gives us an audio glimpse into the meaning of Lent, and a practical way we can embrace the season. Listen to Dan's teaching on Lent entitled "Season of the Heart" (click here to play)
Join us every Sunday at 9:15am or 11am to join in the worship experience with the GUM Community. We have special Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services planned as well... so check back soon for updated details!
...Ash Wednesday
Lent is all about contemplation and preparation. We are disciplining our hearts and minds to be better in-touch with God's will and way for our lives. This can be explored through taking on a Lenten discipline such as devotions, prayer, volunteering for charity work, and so on. Fasting can also be a way to deny ourselves something we fundamentally desire, and instead focus that time and thought on God.
In some places, believers abstain from food for an entire day each week; others take only one meal each day, while others abstain from all food until 3 o'clock. They may decide to give up a favorite food or drink (e.g. chocolate, alcohol) or activity (e.g. going to the movies, playing video games, etc.) for Lent.
At GUM, we encourage you to dedicate yourself to some kind of sacrificial fasting and acts of service during Lent. More ideas and insights will continue to be updated on this webpage ...and be sure to join your community for all of our Lenten services and meditations, starting with Ash Wednesday.
Here is a great article recently published in RELEVANT Magazine giving a fresh insight into this ancient practice of Ash Wednesday and Lent:
The Many Lessons of Ash Wednesday
...Celebrate Fat Tuesday!
At GUM we're rediscovering ancient practices in an effort to understand our faith better. Did you think we would ignore the festivals and feasts? I think not!
Although we aren't planning a central gathering, each family is highly encouraged to host a party for friends on the evening of Feb. 16th to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Traditional foods might include pancakes or pączkis (large fried donuts with filling). Here, try this amazing recipe!
Here is a bit of "educational" background courtesy of Wikipedia...
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday. In many cultures, they would use this opportunity to use up those rich foods, like butter for example, so that it would not be a distraction during the fast.
Build community while using up those super bowl party snacks!