Join us this Lent!
In Lent, we’re reminded that, again and again, suffering and brokenness find us. We doubt again, we lament again, we mess up again. Again and again, the story of Jesus on the cross repeats—every time lives are taken unjustly, every time the powerful choose corruption and violence, every time individuals forget how to love. With exacerbation we exclaim, “Again?! How long, O God?” And yet, in the midst of the motion blur chaos of our lives, God offers a sacred refrain: “I choose you, I love you, I will lead you to repair.” Again and again, God breaks the cycle and offers us a new way forward. This theme provides a clear invitation in a time when much is unclear. Even if worshiping apart, we come to God again and again with our prayers, our dreams, our hopes, and our doubts. Even if from a distance, we will continue to be community to one another—especially when it’s hard—by choosing each other over and over again. We will continue to love God with the same persistence God chooses and claims us. Our sub-title, A Lenten Refrain, speaks to the ways God can make music of our lives. “Refrain” also reminds us that Lent is a season of abstaining from certain practices in order to take on new rhythms and habits. In this season, we need rituals—both old and new—to remember and be transformed. Embodied practice builds muscle memory. Repetition helps retrain our neural pathways. We need the 46 days of Lent because this season shapes us into more faithful disciples. Join us this Lent as again and again, we bring all of who we are to God and trust that God will meet us, time and again, along the way. Ash Wednesday Apart-Together Unfortunately, we will not be gathering in-person for Ash Wednesday. We will provide a short online liturgy and meditation that can be viewed at home at any time. However, we also recognize that it is easier to engage these practices in community. And so, we will also have a communal time to watch together using the same platform we use each Sunday (online church) so that we can share in this liturgy together-apart. The times to watch together will be at 8am and 7pm. Ash Wednesday is very much an “embodied” day – in other words, the significance of this day is touching skin to skin, feeling and seeing the mark of the cross on the forehead. This is a day that engages the senses. It won’t be the same online, but you may find it to be more meaningful this year by choosing to light a candle, grab a little dirt from the ground in your yard and put in a small bowl, and have a pen and paper ready to jot down a note or two. The link will be sent out in Pastor Laura’s Saturday email the week before and the morning of. |
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Worship Online each Sunday @ 10:30am
Pleasant Green UMC will continue to worship as a community throughout this season each Sunday at 10:30am using this theme “Again and Again.” Here’s a look at the scriptures we’ll be using each Sunday:
The First Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, God Meets Us Genesis 9:8-17, Mark 1:9-15
The Second Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Called to Listen Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Mark 8:31-38
The Third Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Shown the Way Exodus 20: 1-17, John 2:13-22
The Fourth Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, God Loves First Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21
The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Reformed Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-33
Palm/Passion Sunday, Holy Week & Easter Sunday More details to come!
Pleasant Green UMC will continue to worship as a community throughout this season each Sunday at 10:30am using this theme “Again and Again.” Here’s a look at the scriptures we’ll be using each Sunday:
The First Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, God Meets Us Genesis 9:8-17, Mark 1:9-15
The Second Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Called to Listen Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Mark 8:31-38
The Third Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Shown the Way Exodus 20: 1-17, John 2:13-22
The Fourth Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, God Loves First Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-21
The Fifth Sunday of Lent: Again & Again, We are Reformed Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 12:20-33
Palm/Passion Sunday, Holy Week & Easter Sunday More details to come!
Monthly Calendar
Wednesdays Bible Study 10:30am via Zoom
Prayer Team Meeting 3rd Wednesday 6:30pm via Zoom
Food For All is the second Tuesday each month
Prayer Team Meeting 3rd Wednesday 6:30pm via Zoom
Food For All is the second Tuesday each month
The Pleasant Green United Methodist Church is a congregation of Christian believers which exists to serve its God and its community. Our service takes its form in the spreading and sharing of the good news of Christ; in the spiritual nurture of our church family; in ministry to the needs of the whole person (spiritual and physical); and, in providing God’s people a strong Christian fellowship. Further, we are called to be strong witnesses to our larger world community. We gain our strength for these tasks through prayer, corporate worship, Bible study, and fellowship.