the 40 days of lent

Finding where God’s story and the story of our lives intersect...

Much of the information herein was formed with the great help of the Christian Resource Institute.

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So it’s Lent...so what?

The season of Lent is the most observed season of the church year. It is increasingly important as it is a season of refocus and reflection. As the Christian Church continues to take a back seat in society, it will become more and more important to call ourselves back to who we are and to whom we worship. As Lent follows the path of Christ to the cross and ultimately the tomb, we are reminded of our own lives: we know that complete victory awaits at some point, but in this moment, we continue to experience trouble and trial, all the while joyfully and hopefully seeking the will of God the Father.

This is the third year that our community is seeking to be intentional together during Lent. The opportunities listed to the right are geared to focus us better on God and the Word and to gather us together as we seek to hear and know the story of God as it intersects with the stories of our own lives as individuals and our life as a community together.

We will reflect on this theme of “The story of God” on Sunday mornings during our regular gathering of worship. Challenge yourself: make it a point to be in worship each Sunday during Lent and choose at least a couple of the practices and gatherings on the right. Further up and further in!

Lent - A Brief Explanation

Originating in the fourth century of the church, the season of Lent spans forty weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday and climaxing during Holy Week with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, and concluding Saturday before Easter. Originally, Lent was the time of preparation for those who were to be baptized, a time of concentrated study and prayer before their baptism at the Easter Vigil, the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord early on Easter Sunday. But since these new members were to be received into a living community of Faith, the entire community was called to preparation. Also, this was the time when those who had been separated from the Church would prepare to rejoin the community.

Since Sundays celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the six Sundays that occur during Lent are not counted as part of the 40 days of Lent, and are referred to as the Sundays in Lent. The number 40 is connected with many biblical events, but especially with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry by facing the temptations that could lead him to abandon his mission and calling. Christians today use this period of time for introspection, self examination, and repentance. This season of the year is equal only to the Season of Advent in importance in the Christian year, and is part of the second major grouping of Christian festivals and sacred time that includes Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.

Lent has traditionally been marked by penitential prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Some churches today still observe a rigid schedule of fasting on certain days during Lent, especially the giving up of meat, alcohol, sweets, and other types of food. Other traditions do not place as great an emphasis on fasting, but focus on charitable deeds, especially helping those in physical need with food and clothing, or simply the giving of money to charities. Most Christian churches that observe Lent at all focus on it as a time of prayer, especially penance, repenting for failures and sin as a way to focus on the need for God’s grace. It is really a preparation to celebrate God’s marvelous redemption at Easter, and the resurrected life that we live, and hope for, as Christians.

Lenten Practices & Gatherings

Daily—Read the scripture passages from our Community Scripture Way. There are hard copies on the welcome pulpit in the foyer or it can be accessed on the church website (www.northst.org). In addition, you can receive the daily readings right in your e-mail (send a request to Pastor Jeremy: pastor@northst.org). If you’ve not yet begun reading through the CSW or have fallen off since we began in November, Lent is a great time to begin (again)!

Community Meals—Join us as we eat together as a our church community at 6:00 PM on Wednesdays. Bring enough food for yourself and we’ll eat together as a family. Drinks and dinnerware are provided.

Bible Study—We are kicking off a new book during Lent 2009. Beginning on Wednesday, 3/4, we will be looking together at the book of John, 7:00 PM on Wednesdays. John is unique amongst the four gospel books as it seeks to tell the larger story of the life and themes of Jesus Christ.

Community Personal Finance Seminar & Discussion—At 8:00 PM on Wednesdays, Dr. Dick Fish will be leading a seminar on personal finance. One great tradition of Lent is the endeavor to seek to simplify our lives. All are invited to join the discussion, regardless of family status, financial status, or any other status other than “human”!

Belonging & Membership—Beginning on Saturday, March 15, Pastor Jeremy invites you to join him in discussion about what it means to be a member of a church community. While there are some obvious standards set for us, we want to talk about what this means to our church community. So come out from 9:30-11:00 on Saturdays (through April 4) to join the discussion. Coffee, milk, and donuts will be provided. This is for all current “official” members as well as those interested in membership. We will receive new “official” members on Easter Sunday, April 12.

Watership Down—The North Street Book Club will be reading a novel called Watership Down during Lent. Everyone is invited to join in on this one and read this story about a community that struggles through difficult times, yet throughout it all finding the story of their own lives to be that of the stories of their faith and ancestors. Then stay tuned for a time and date for the book club discussion.

The Story of God—Do you want to stretch your understanding of the Bible? Join Pastor Jeremy in reading this book written by Nazarene professor Michael Lodahl. You’ll read about how the Bible is a story of God and his people and how we maintain this story today, both in the Bible and in the story of our lives. Much of the Sunday morning preaching will draw from the themes of this book.

The Remembrance—On Sunday evenings throughout Lent at 6:14 PM we’ll worship together in a candlelit setting, focusing around the table of Christ. The mood will be reflective, yet high energy in music and sometimes hands-on in activity.

Good Friday Gathering—Join us for a “service of shadows” at sunset (7:21 PM) as we reflect together on the death of Christ, leading into the silence of Holy Saturday.

Sunrise Gathering & Community Breakfast—At 6:00 AM (yes, SIX AY-EM!) on Easter Sunday, April 12, we will have a simple gathering of worship around the communion table followed by a community breakfast.