LENT TO EASTER 2022

“Friends in Christ, today with the whole church we enter the time of remembering Jesus' Passover from death to life. We begin this holy season by acknowledging our need for repentance and for God's mercy. We are created to experience joy in communion with God, to love one another, and to live in harmony with creation. But our sinful rebellion separates us from God, our neighbors, and creation, so that we do not enjoy the life our creator intended.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor. I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving, and works of love—strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament.”

These words are taken from the opening of the Ash Wednesday service and set the tone for this holy time. They speak of what it means to walk in the light and shadow of the cross of Christ. Join us as we journey together in this holy season to renew and refresh our faith. Our worship takes an introspective turn as we encourage our worshipping congregation to examine their own faith, piety, and spirituality. Our worship is decidedly meditative, and our music is notably quieter and more solemn and contemplative. Holy Communion will be offered each Sunday. Our altar colors reflect the penitential emphasis of the season and the anticipation of the resurrection of our Sovereign Lord and King.

Our Gloria Dei Tower Bells will be silent until Easter morning. Members are asked to focus on prayer, meditation, and their personal faith journey this season.

Lenten Dinner & Services
Our Lenten series begins after Ash Wednesday and continues for five weeks until Palm Sunday. We begin with a delicious soup supper served in our Fellowship Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m., and we will be serving continuously until 6:30 p.m. A limited vegetarian option will be available. Worship begins in the Nave at 7:00 p.m.  including Evening Vespers, and the sermons will cover the following topics:

Ash Wednesday, March 2
Sermon Topic: God is a Shepherd Who Provides

LENT 1 - Wednesday, March 9
Sermon Topic: God Leads Us

LENT 2 - Wednesday, March 16
Sermon Topic: God is with Us

LENT 3 - Wednesday, March 23
Sermon Topic: God Gives Us a Place of Honor

LENT 4 - Wednesday, March 30
Sermon Topic: God Pursues Us with Grace

LENT 5 - Wednesday, April 6
Sermon Topic: We Respond in Faith

PANCAKE SUPPER - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2
5:30 p.m. – 6:40 p.m.

You are invited for pancakes, sausage, fruit cocktail, juice, and hot drinks. A free-will offering will be taken, and proceeds will be going toward the Women of the ELCA’s ministry effort in making personal care kits for Lutheran World Relief. Every kit made will be cherished by the person who receives it in their time of need.

ASH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2
WORSHIP at 7:00 p.m.

Ash Wednesday is the doorway to the season of Lent. The spirit of this service is solemn but not sad, dealing with our need for reconciliation with God. This will be a service of Holy Communion, and the Imposition of Ashes will be offered. Nursery provided.

WEDNESDAYS IN LENT, March 9 – April 6
SOUP SUPPER 5:30 p.m. - 6:40 p.m. | Worship at 7:00 p.m.
See Details in Bottom Left Block

 

PALM/PASSION SUNDAY - APRIL 10
WORSHIP at 9:30 a.m.

A procession with palms as the congregation sings, “Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” leads us into the events of Holy Week.

MAUNDY THURSDAY - APRIL 14
Worship at 7:00 p.m.

This night, we will close off the time of repentance begun on Ash Wednesday. Being reconciled to God and to one another, Maundy Thursday leads into an experience of celebrating God’s gift of salvation in the person and passion of Jesus Christ. Holy Communion and the concluding act of stripping the altar prepare us for the solemnity of Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY TENEBRAE - APRIL 15
Worship at 7:00 p.m.

This worship service, called Tenebrae, is a Holy Week devotion dating from the seventh century. The name, meaning “shadows,” refers to the gradual casting of the church into darkness as the events of that holy day are revealed through music and the Word.

EASTER EGG HUNT - SATURDAY, APRIL 16
9:30 a.m. Fox Hill Campus

This event is for children of Gloria Dei and the community ages 2-6 and is sponsored by Gloria Dei’s Youth Groups.

THE FESTIVAL OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
WORSHIP at 9:30 a.m.

“He is not here, He is risen,” is the principal proclamation of the Church on Easter that God has triumphed over sin and death and, through the gift of the resurrection, offers the blessings and the assurances of His kingdom to all who believe. Easter worship employs our fullest resources in praising God. The sounds, colors, taste, and even the smell of Easter lilies help raise God’s people to adoration of the one who “makes all things new!”