Ash Wednesday and Lent
Ash Wednesday services (at noon and 5pm in the chapel on 2/18/25) and Lenten Quiet Nights (5:30pm – 6pm in Fireside Room on Thursdays from Feb 26-Mar 26) are in-person experiences which will not be livestreamed.
Ash Wednesday invites us to journey with Jesus as he moves with determination to Jerusalem, in spite of all the opposition he faces.
LENTEN QUIET NIGHTS help us be faithful to the journey. In the contemplative space of the Fireside Room, we will share prayer, readings and silence centered around the theme: God, Always Seeking Us.
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We offer the following reflections, prayers, poetry, and music for your Lenten practice:
SCRIPTURE
“Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?” –Isaiah 58:6
REFLECTION
“Is this the fast that I choose? As we begin our series, we must examine if our actions match what we profess. As we practice seeking this Lent, what kind of fast will you choose? How will you live your faith? How will you live the questions of your faith? In our spiritual practices, will we seek to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” – (Isaiah 58:6) Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow
Prayer
Truly dust we are, and to dust we shall return;
and truly yours we are, and to you we shall return
Help this to be a time of turning around and beginning again.
Through the forty days of Lent, help us to follow you
and to find you: in the discipline of praying
and in the tasks of caring –
in whatever we deny ourselves,
and whatever we set ourselves to learn or do.
Help us to discover you
in our loneliness and in community,
in our emptiness and our fulfillment,
in our sadness and our laughter.
Help us to find you when we ourselves are lost.
Help us to perceive new growth amid the ashes of the old.
Help us, carrying your cross, to be signs of your Kingdom. Amen.
AFFIRMATION of FAITH and LOVE
(Inspired by the words of Isaiah 58)
X We believe in a God who chooses freedom,
who unties every rope and carries our burdens.
We believe in a God who ushers in the poor and the hungry,
who has a seat saved for all of us.
We believe in a God whose love is like the sun,
who says, “I’m here, I’m here!” every time we cry.
We believe in a God who walks before us in the parched places,
who rescues our bones,
who tends to us like a gardener.
And because we believe,
we strive to choose love.
Because we believe,
we strive to pursue justice.
Because we believe…
Amen.
POETRY & MUSIC
“The Space Between” (multimedia page) or (poetry as pdf)
by William Zeitler
Courtesy of Grailheart.com
Hint:
- On this Multimedia page, click on “Watch on YouTube” in lower left corner to experience the music and imagery.
- Or click the play button right above the video to listen to the beautiful music as an MP3 file while reading the poetry.