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

2/10/2021

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Already this has been a very long year!  It seems as though 2020 never ended and the misery continues: COVID out of control, when can I get the vaccine? There are people I miss and worry about and long to see… Political gridlock and no signs of cooperation; it is cold and dark; I’ve spent more time in strict isolation than I did last year!  My patience is wearing thin, but I know we need to stay vigilant.

I’ve never been more ready for Lent - to intentionally prepare to turn and focus my life Godwards.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (this year 2/17).  So far, I am planning on posting things online because I do not know when we will be able/ready/willing to gather in-person.  I’ve just come back from printing out Lenten Devotionals and hope to have them all delivered in time for us to all participate together in these Lenten Devotions - as we did with our Advent kits.  The structure of these devotions is a modified version of what I found at equippinggodlywomen.com.  We are just a few weeks into the calendar year and a couple months into the church year and already we are presented with a built in opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves, our lives, to a loving and forgiving God.  Remember that with every day, with every breath - we have the opportunity to seek God and to seek to live in harmony with God and one another.  Sometimes this is easier than others - which is why we are given so many opportunities!  Our only requirements: a touch of humility and a true desire to know and live in God’s love.   There is so much disagreement - but most of us can agree that we want to know God and live in God’s grace.  I’m ready for Lent!  Join with me, now and again on Ash Wednesday 2/17.
 
Blessings,
Pastor Kristi

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