This past Wednesday, we began the season of Lent once again. We take the word “Lent” from lengthen for the lengthening of days (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere). We take time to dig deeper and more intentionally into our souls, to find new and creative ways to grow in faith in relationship with God and others. This year, we are exploring what it means to express our faith, with opportunities to do that collectively and individually.
We begin this faith exploration this Sunday with the deceptively simple, straightforward question, “What is faith?” and look to one of the classic definitions found in Hebrews 11: faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
What does it mean to you to have confidence in your hopes and assurance about things you have not yet seen? On Sunday we will begin exploring this question together. Here’s more about the study:
Exploring our Faith Lenten Study, beginning Sunday, March 10.
We invite all of you to participate in this exploration as we continue to pair up weekly workshops with our themes in worship.
These are some of the questions we will explore in our upcoming study:
• What does it mean to have faith?
• What is faith?
• How and why do we express it?
• What do God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit mean to me?
• What baggage do I carry with me about any of these ideas?
• What do I need to let go of?
• What do I need to grow into?
• and other questions you may bring
One of the end results of this study is that we may come up with our own expressions of faith – whether in words, drawing, painting or music – that help us articulate where our faith is at this moment in time.
This promises to be a rewarding study for all of us and I hope you will come try it out on Sundays after worship 12:30-2pm in the Parlor, or Tuesdays from 9-10:30am in the Deepening Room.
Lenten Study Archives
March 10
Take-home questions: What is Faith?
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #1
March 17
Take-home questions: Who is God?
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #2
March 24
Take-home questions: Who is Jesus?
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #3
March 31
Take-home questions: Who is the Holy Spirit?
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #4
April 7
Take-home questions: The Church and the World
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #5
April 14
Take-home questions: Expressing Our Faith
Lenten Study curriculum packet: Workshop #6
GreenUP Ideas for a Green Lent
Have you thought of something that you wanted to give up or take on for Lent this year? Since one of our callings as Christians is to be good stewards of the Earth, GreenUP suggests you consider making a change in your life which will also improve the health of our environment. Click here for a list of ideas for you to think about during this holy season of Lent.
Thursday Lenten Dinner Church, 6:15-7pm, Parlor, March 14-April 11
Beginning Thursday, March 14 through April 11, we will gather for 45 minutes of contemplative, candlelit worship over a shared meal. Doors open at 6pm. We started dinner church last Lent and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a post-modern return to an ancient worship model that has been sweeping the country, just like what the early Christians did in their own homes. We enjoy soup, salad, communion, some prayer, confession and music. For more information, click here or contact Seminarian Wilson Hood at wilson@upbrookline.org or Associate Pastor Amy Norton at amy@upbrookline.org.
Dinners for Eight, March 30-31, April 5-6
These dinners are a chance for us to gather and deepen our connections to one another in small groups of around 8 people. Daytime and evening gatherings are offered. All are welcome to host or attend—newcomers, long-time members, and friends of all ages! Click here to sign up to host or attend a meal. Contact gathering@upbrookline.org.
However you choose to observe Lent, we hope you will unleash your imagination and look for ways that feed your soul and help you connect more deeply with the presence of God in your midst.
If you missed the reflections from our shared worship with Temple Shir Tikva last week, click HERE to take a listen or subscribe to our podcast.