40 Days of what?

Lent. what is that? is that the act of loaning someone something? Or is it the stuff in your belly button??

Um..yes, but.... not what we're looking for.

40 days. (what are some other periods of 40 days or years in the Bible? Noah? Jesus? Wilderness? ring a bell?)

Main celebrations; Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter
Main themes; Repentence, Prayer, Baptism, Fasting, Communion.

We'll talk about all these in more detail in the upcoming weeks.

ASH WEDNESDAY
"Ash Wednesday begins the wilderness journey of Lent. Lent is about "roughing it," about letting go of what's distracting us and getting back to basics, individually and corporately. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Lenten journey of 40 weekdays (Monday through Saturday) that takes the church to the eve of Easter. Sundays are not included in the count of 40 days, as they are "little Easter" celebrations. The mood of Sunday services does not need to be penitential or "Good Friday" in feel. Remember, Lent is not primarily about the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Lent is primarily about identifying with and accompanying those who are being driven by the Spirit to make the wilderness journey -- toward baptism, toward reconciliation, or toward vocation. "
"What do you do WITH the ashes? If you’ve not used ashes before, here are a few simple tips.
The ash itself is a sign of mortality. As at baptism, the cross is the sign of Christ's death AND victory over sin and death. The sign made at baptism with water or oil that may not be seen is here visible to one and all during this solemn service of worship. It is a living reminder that we belong to Christ, or indeed that we are, in ancient Roman terms, his bond slaves, and he is our master.
Do not remove the ash during worship. The gospel texts for this service that speak of not showing our piety before the whole world mean that, but Christian worship is not public in that way. Encourage people to keep the ash in place during the rest of the service, including Holy Communion.

prepared four youths to read during the Ash Wednesday service.

Observers; Respect / Control

Stories / Questions