ALPLAUS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
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Ash Wednesday Info
        As previously mentioned, this year Ash Wednesday is 2/17.  This is the day we start our Lenten journey.  We usually begin with an afternoon/evening service that includes the imposition of Ashes.  Last year we had a series of stations set up in the sanctuary for personal devotions at your leisure, ending with Ashes.
        What is the deal with Ashes on this day?  Have you ever wondered why we do this?  We can see when someone has been to a service and started their Lenten journey because the Ashes are visible on their face.  But in our worship, we specifically read in Matthew 6 about NOT making a show of our faith with outward signs…  It seems like a contradiction and it is a bit confusing.  Back in the day [Bible times] people who were repenting for a transgression or a significant change in attitude would adopt a manner that would involve humility and public display of repentance - wearing sackcloth and covering oneself with ashes.  This behavior of repentance would be very public and draw attention to a person’s devotion and faith.  Sometimes, it would be a bit of a show and occasionally more show than actual change.  This led to the teaching that repentance should be more private and less of a “production.”
        So why, then, do we have such a visible sign of repentance at the beginning of our Lenten season with the imposition of ashes?  Not for their visibility but as a reminder.  Primarily, the ashes are used to remind us that our life is finite.  We are born and we die as children of God.  Marking the beginning of our Lenten journey - as we dedicate ourselves to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem - we are remembering our own mortality and our fleeting opportunities to mend relationships, with God and with one another.  Traditionally, the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday - now crisp and dry, are burnt to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday [“Sunday’s Palms are Wednesday’s Ashes - as another Lent begins…” TFWS #2138].  We use these ashes to remember that the adoration of the crowds as Jesus entered into Jerusalem quickly turned to the crowd’s cry of “Crucify!”
        Can we enter Lent without Ashes on Feb 17?  Absolutely!  Look to Facebook and the website for worship elements and look for a little devotional booklet to come to you in the next couple of weeks.


Pastoral Message

2/4/2019

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February is coming!  By February - I do not mean winter (although the suggestion is intentionally implied), I do not mean Valentine’s Day (I’m wary of chocolate temptation), and I do not mean Lent (that starts March 6 on Ash Wednesday).  What do I mean?  Special General Conference (February 23-26 in St. Louis MO).  Rev. Baron of First UMC was kind to give me summaries of the 3 Plans that the Commission On a Way Forward presented to our last Annual Conference (Amanda Smith-Lucier, our Lay Member to Conference, gave a verbal recap during worship and also at Church Council).  The Three Plans are:  the One Church Plan, the Connectional Conference Plan, and the Traditionalist Plan.  The One Church Plan is the only plan recommended by majority of Council of Bishops and supported by majority of the Commission on the Way Forward.  Information on the three plans is available in the Fellowship Hall (Basement of the Church) or please reach out to me for conversation (via phone, email, or in person).

The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968 - a year fraught with tension and division.  In the midst of disunity in so many places, the Methodist Episcopal Church found a way to not only hold together but to also join with the Evangelical United Brethren.  Issues of racism and equality for women threatened the merger and the continuation of the denominations.  Through commitment to the unity found in the Holy Spirit and the gentle guidance and reliance upon God, we successfully merged and have continued to grow in connection and grace for 51 years.  Please - Please - PLEASE, continue to hold in prayer all who will be meeting in St. Louis as well as all who will be affected by the decisions made there (the Whole Church). 
Blessings!
Pastor Kristi

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