Lent 2015 Newsletter - Sugar Loaf United Methodist Church

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Drawing Closer to the Heart of
God Through Song & Prayer!
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A Lenten Series
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Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong process; we are never fully formed, never done
growing in faith and never finished learning what it means to live the way of Christ. Lent is
a time set aside to develop our walk with God. We spend forty days, six weeks, not
counting Sundays, working on our faith life through the practice of a spiritual or Lenten
discipline. Our Lenten journey will help us draw closer to the heart of God through song
and prayer and will help us learn to trust more fully and completely in God, just as Christ
did, trusting God not only to provide for our salvation but for our lives today.
Ash Wednesday!
Holy Week Services!
Ashes and Communion!
February 18 at 7:30pm
As We Journey to the Cross!
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Palm Sunday!
March 29 at 11:00am!
Bible Study!
Witness Jesus’ triumphant entry into
Jerusalem and the events that lead us
to the cross.!
St. Augustine once said, "For he that sings
praise, not only praises, but praises with
gladness: he that sings praise, not only
sings, but also loves him of whom he sings.
In praise, there is the speaking forth of one
confessing; in singing, the affection of one
loving.” It has been abridged to be, “when
we sing, we pray twice.” Gather in the
Fellowship Hall Sunday mornings at
9:45am, February 22 - March 29, for our
Lenten bible study in which we will explore
the journey to the cross through the rich
tradition of hymns. !
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Good Friday!
April 3 at 7:30pm!
We will gather in the sanctuary to pray
our way through the judgement,
execution, and burial of Jesus.!
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Easter Celebration!
April 5 at 11:00am!
Celebrate the resurrection! Hallelujah!
! Lord, Who throughout These Forty Days!
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The Empty Tomb !
The Summons (Will you come and follow me)!
Lord of the Dance (I danced in the morning)!
To God Be the Glory!
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross!
All Glory, Laud, and Honor
A Sunday School Pageant!
March 22 at 11:00am!
A pot-trust luncheon will follow.
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Sugar Loaf United Methodist Church 1387 Kings Highway, Sugar Loaf NY (845) 469-2583 !
Drawing Closer to the Heart of God in Lent!
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The What and Why of Lenten Disciplines!
Fasting is a part of our Christian faith and it has it’s roots in our Jewish heritage. The
Bible instructs that on the Day of Atonement we should go without eating and the high
priest should go into the Holy of Holies to make a sacrifice in substitution for the sins of
everyone. Because the sacrifice was for the sins of everyone, everyone fasted in order
to identify with the High Priest who sacrificed a lamb for the forgiveness of their sin. !
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Today, Jewish observers fast each year on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. For
Christians, atonement comes at Easter when Christ died, to pay the price once and for
all, setting us free from sin and death. We no longer have to sacrifice the blood of a
lamb, for Jesus is the lamb of God who sacrificed himself for us. We are no loner under
the Jewish law and not required to fast, however, many Christians choose to fast
because it is a discipline that strengthens our faith by causing us to rely more deeply on
God, allowing us to draw closer to God’s presence in our lives.!
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Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, forty days before Easter. In the early church, baptisms
occurred annually on Easter Sunday, so those who desired to be baptized spent the
forty days before Easter fasting in preparation for their new life in Christ.!
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The Lenten practice of fasting for forty days is our way of drawing on the biblical tradition
of fasting. Jesus spent forty days fasting in preparation for his ministry. Elijah walked for
forty days as he made his way to Mount Horeb and Moses was on top of Mount Sinai for
forty days receiving the Ten Commandments. The Lenten period of fasting is a time of
serious self-denial so that in denying ourselves, we might understand more deeply the
great act of self-denial made by Jesus Christ in giving his life for us. !
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As we move towards Lent I encourage each of you to consider how you might fast
during this season as a way to draw closer to the heart of God and to participate more
intimately in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Your fast can be anything that will help
you practice self-denial and turn from the comforts of this world to find comfort in God.
Fasting helps remind us of our great need and dependence on God for all things. As
you consider how you might practice a Lenten discipline, be sure to decide what is right
for you. Fasting doesn’t have to be about food. A Lenten fast might be abstaining from
the internet or giving up soda or alcohol. You might forgo your favorite TV show and
substitute that time with prayer and reading the scriptures or you might make a fast of
some part of your daily routine in order to be more mindful of your need for God. !
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If you choose to fast this Lent, do what is right for you. Maybe you fast one day a week.
God is more concerned about the response of your heart than the length of your fast.
Fasting is also not about your own willpower but about drawing closer to God for
strength and spending time in prayer. However you choose to observe Lent, use it as a
time to make sure that Jesus is the center of your life and not you.!
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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
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