Worship

WORSHIP

CELEBRATING THE GOOD NEWS

WE SAY “GOOD-BYE” TO ALLELUIA

February 22^nd will be the last Sunday before Lent. It is traditional in the church to give up something for Lent as a way of reminding ourselves of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.

At St. John’s, we give up saying “alleluia” during our worship services. Alleluia is a Latin word that means “Praise God.” It is a word of joy and celebration that we decide not to use during the somber, penitential season of Lent.

So, on the Sunday before Lent, we have a short ceremony where we cover our church’s Alleluia banner with a purple veil. Then, on Ester, we remove the veil and again shout for joy.

Text Box: LENT BEGINS ON ASH WEDNESDAY This year, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, is February 25th. Once again, we will have two worship services, at noon and 7:00 PM, to mark the occasion. Many people, both in and out of the church, don’t like Lent and especially Ash Wednesday. They don’t like talking about what is wrong in the world, and they especially don’t like admitting that they’ve made mistakes and done things that are not right. Too depressing…A real downer. But being a mature adult, spiritually, as well as physically, requires that we take responsibility for our faults and sins. Of course, we Christians are uniquely positioned to do this because we know God is a forgiving God who makes it possible for us to forgive others. Ash Wednesday and Lent are a part of the Good News because when we take responsibility for our actions, we are met by a loving God who helps us to move forward into a new and better life.