Lent Journey to Easter

Walk with Jesus in these Holy Days and deepen your faith.

Christ is Risen Easter cross

Lent: A Journey into Hope

This Lent, join us in our journey to Easter.

What is Lent anyway? The word “Lent” comes from an Anglo Saxon word, lencten which means to lengthen and refers to the lengthen days of the spring.  In the church, Lent is the season of the year that that leads up to Easter.  Lent is a time to deepen our relationship with God. It’s a time to remember your life comes from God, and God’s love for you is greater than you can imagine!

As you seek to deepen your relationship with God during Lent, it’s a good time to try something new.  Try adding a regular prayer time to the day or try reading one of the gospels in the New Testament.  Lent is also a good time to connect with a church, try a Bible Study or to go to special services.  We hope some of the events we are offering at First Presbyterian will help you make the Journey to Easter.

"The Chosen", a Lenten Sermon Series, Sundays Feb 5 - Mar 26

The Chosen

Pastor Sally is taking a deep dive with us into the new film series, “The Chosen” which can be viewed on Netflix or Amazon Prime.  Each week during Lent, in the Sunday morning sermon, we will be exploring the Biblical themes presented in season one of the “The Chosen.”  Join us each Sunday for this unusual series during one of our morning worship services!

9:00 AM Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary

11:00 AM Contemporary Worship in the lower-level Coffee House

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday, April 2

Palm Sunday is the joyous day when we remember Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with great excitement!  Join us for worship as we remember the Jesus’ Triumphant Entry.  We will wave palms at the 9:00 AM Traditional service and the 11:00 AM Contemporary service, and there will be palms to take home after each service.  (Cross folders will be at the door if you would like your palm stem folded into a cross.) 

Maundy Thursday Seder Service, April 6 at 6:00pm

Maundy Thursday is the night we remember everything that happened the night before Jesus died.  One of the most important events of that night was when Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples.  This deeply Jewish celebration had special meaning for Jesus especially as he added holy words to the some of the bread and wine shared at the supper, creating a lasting meal the church would call Communion.

We will celebrate Maundy Thursday night with a Passover seder this year, reenacting the meal as Jesus celebrated it.  Please join us!  Call the church office to make your reservation or click here to reserve your spot online!

Good Friday Taize Worship, April 7 at 7:00 PM

 

Good Friday is the day of the cross.  It’s a hard day but important for Christians as we remember the lengths God was willing to go to demonstrate his endless love for us.  We look forward to gathering for a beautiful Taize worship service in the Sanctuary as we remember this holy night. 

The music of the Taize community in France is perfect for Good Friday.  It is simple, beautiful and engenders personal reflection. Join us for candlelight, scripture readings and beautiful music as we drawn near to the God who never forsakes us. 

Easter Sunday 

Join us for Easter joy in worship with glorious music, the Easter Story, communion, beautiful flowers and a message of Hope!  The resurrection of the Jesus brings us hope for our personal lives and hope for our world.  God’s love never leaves us alone!

We worship in two services on Easter Sunday:

9:00 AM Traditional worship in the sanctuary

11:00 AM Contemporary worship in the lower lever Coffee House 

An Easter Egg Hunt for the children will be held between the Traditional and Contemporary services at about 10:30AM.  Everyone is welcome!

"The Chosen" Bible Studies: Monday 6:30pm, Wednesdays at 8:30am

Want to dive a little deeper into “The Chosen?”  Pastor Sally is offering two Bible studies to supplement the Sunday sermon series.

The Monday Night Bible Study (6:30 PM) will actually view the films each week in the lower level Coffee House and then discuss the film and related scripture passages in small groups around tables.

The Wednesday Morning Men’s Bible Study (8:30 AM) will view the films ahead of time at home and discuss the film and related scripture passages together when they gather on Wednesday morning.  Men’s Bible Study welcomes new participants!

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Ukrainian Easter Egg decorating, Sunday, Mar. 12. (2 – 5 PM)

Ukranian Easter Eggs

For a second year in a row, Pastor Sally will be teaching us the ancient art of Ukrainian Easter egg decoration called Pysanky.

The egg decorating is done on raw eggs with metal tipped styluses warmed by candle flame and dipped in beeswax.

The designs are then drawn on the eggs and dipped in successive dyes to create a truly extraordinary egg.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Click to reserve your seat for this event.

 

A free will offering will be taken to support the continued work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Ukraine.

portrait of woman with ash cross on forehead

Ashes to Go! Wednesday, Feb 22  - Drive in through the Church Tower Portico

 

It has long been the custom at the beginning of Lent to be marked in ashes with the sign of the cross. The ashes reminds that we are dust and so need to turn to God and God’s creative power to heal the brokenness in our lives and make us new. That turning to God begins our Journey into hope and our preparation for the celebration of Easter.

We’re offering ”Ashes to Go” to the whole community on Ash Wednesday (Feb 22) as a “drive through devotional experience” because we want to share the blessing of this day with everyone. We all need God’s healing power all day long, every day!

Upcoming Events

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Good Friday Tenebrae

March 29 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

March 31
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Children’s Easter Egg Hunt!

March 31 @ 10:15 am - 11:00 pm