Lent - First Congregational United Church of Christ

What is Lent?

Lent is a Christian season of self-examination lasting the 6 weeks leading up to Easter. The season moves on the calendar from year to year based on the spring equinox, celebrating the increasingly longer days of the year. As a reminder for Christians to look to God rather than physical things for their wholeness, some take on the practice of giving something up for Lent. Whenever they desire this thing that they have given up, they are reminded to pray for God to sustain them. Items commonly given up are certain foods or forms of entertainment. It has also become popular to not only give something up but to add a practice during Lent, like going to church regularly or adding a daily prayer time.

Who are we?

We're located at the corner of Juliette and Poyntz...right where we've been since a group of abolitionists founded our church in the 1850s. We are a group of open-minded, big-hearted Christ-followers who are committed to working for justice and loving all, just as Jesus has taught us to do.

If you have questions about our congregation or the events happening this season, please feel free to contact us.

Art & Reflection During Lent

During the season of Lent we encourage you to linger during Fellowship Hour and participate in some community art-making and reflection in Pioneer Hall. There will be colored pencils and copies of themed art from A Sanctified Art plus devotionals for your use. We will also be working on folding origami throughout Lent, which will be used in our worship space.

You are welcome to use the art materials and space anytime the building is open and the space is available. So if you’d like a quieter time to meditate with art, stop by during the week!

Ash Wednesday
March 6

Ash Wednesday is a Christian tradition that prepares us for the Lenten season before Easter. The reasons Christians receive ashes on the forehead are twofold: 1. As a call to grieve and repent from the ways they have become separated from God and Neighbor and 2. As a humble reminder of the dust from which we came and the dust to which we’ll return. To remind us of our life season’s cyclical nature, we use the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday to create the ashes. You may receive ashes as a part of our worship service at 7:00 p.m. or, if you are unable to make it to worship, you can receive Ashes to Go along Moro St. in Aggieville from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Lenten Book Study

March 10 - April 7 at 9:30am
Led by Jim Mock

From the publisher: "Using the gospel of Mark as their guide, Borg and Crossan present a day-by-day account of Jesus's final week of life. They begin their story on Palm Sunday with two triumphal entries into Jerusalem. The first entry, that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate leading Roman soldiers into the city, symbolized military strength. The second heralded a new kind of moral hero who was praised by the people as he rode in on a humble donkey. The Jesus introduced by Borg and Crossan is this new moral hero, a more dangerous Jesus than the one enshrined in the church's traditional teachings." Please contact the church office by March 4 if you'd like us to order you a copy of the book.

Take Time for Taize + Visio Divna

Lent is the perfect time to consider attending Taize worship on Thursday evenings at 7:00pm. This service of prayers, silence, and singing lasts about 30-40 minutes. During Lent, Pastor Caela will also lead brief sessions of Visio Divina after Taize at 7:45pm on March 7, 21 & April 4. Visio Divina, latin for “divine seeing,” is a method of meditation, reflection, and prayer through a process of intentional seeing. Visio Divina extends the 6th century Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina by the use of visual imagery.

What is Visio Divina? Watch a brief video explanation from Pastor Caela