What Time is it? REDEEMING TIME

Holy Week marks the final week of lent where we remember the events leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, as we remember the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to the shouts of the crowd.  “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Matthew 21:9)  While some traditions celebrate every day of Holy Week, we at Monte Vista are going to focus on four main events.  Along with our Palm Sunday service, we will remember Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. 

On Thursday, (Maundy Thursday) March 28 at 6pm, we will gather for a twenty minute communion service to remember the evening Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room for the Last Supper.  On Friday, (Good Friday) March 29 at 7pm, we will gather in the courtyard to reflect on the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.  Then, on Saturday, (Holy Saturday) you will receive a devotional via email or simply click on the image below to reflect on what must have felt like a hopeless day while Jesus remained in the tomb.  

All of these special activities are family friendly.  Our hope is that you will set aside time to engage with as many as possible so that we as a community of faith can prepare ourselves for the hope and joy of Easter morning.  What a celebration that will be!

The church calendar revolves around the two most impactful events of Christ’s life; his birth (Christmas) and his resurrection (Easter).  Both of these events are preceded by seasons of preparation.  Advent prepares us for Christ’s coming, and Lent prepares us for Christ’s death and resurrection.   Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 14 this year) and continues for 40 days, not counting Sundays, and concludes the day before Easter.   

The most common and well known practice of the Lenten season is fasting.  Reflecting Jesus’ forty day fast in the wilderness, Lent’s forty days of fasting invites us to open our hearts and minds to notice the things we have put before or between our relationship with Jesus.  Then, with humility and courage, we intentionally set those things aside and renew our focus on Jesus as our source of life.  

Historically, fasting has focused on abstaining from food, but over time, the Lenten fast has come to include anything from sweets or alcohol to social media or television.  Whatever is chosen, the point of fasting is to redirect our focus to God.  When our impulse is to grab a sweet snack or scroll through social media, fasting invites us to redirect our attention to the only One who can truly satisfy our longings.  

Being that we are following the church calendar, we will hold our first Ash Wednesday Service  to mark the beginning of Lent.  After a brief reflection on the goodness of God and our ongoing need for repentance, the service will conclude with ‘the imposition of ashes.’  This is a time for those who have committed to the coming forty days of fasting to have their foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.  It is important to note that while this practice is new to many of us, it is meant to reflect a practice from scripture.  Throughout the Old Testament, a devoted Israelite would cover themselves in ashes as a sign of their grief and sorrow.  In a similar, but less dramatic fashion, the ashes on our foreheads serve as a symbol of our grief and sorrow for allowing other things to come before our devotion to God.

While Lent and Ash Wednesday are fairly new to many of us at Monte Vista Chapel, devoted Christians from around the world have found this season to be deeply spiritual as they reorient their lives around God and his redemptive plan for the world.  If you would like to join in this tradition, we ask you to consider how, and what God is inviting you to fast from during the forty days of Lent.  You are then welcome to join others from the community to mark your commitment at the Ash Wednesday service.  Finally, remember that Jesus, through his Spirit, is walking with you during your forty days of fasting.  He knows what it is to be tempted, and he will gladly give you the grace you need to trust in your heavenly Father to meet your deepest needs.  

Every year, on January 6, the church remembers and celebrates the day when the Magi (wise men) visited Jesus.  Depending on the tradition, Epiphanytide, or the Season After Epiphany continues forty days from Christmas and ends when Jesus was presented at the temple (according to Leviticus 12:1–8, Mary would have to be ritually purified after childbirth), or it continues until Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. (More on this in a future email)  We will observe the latter.

The word epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, meaning ‘manifestation’ or ‘appearance’.  For this reason, the Season after Epiphany focuses on the ‘appearances’ or ‘manifestations’ of Jesus not only to the Jews, but the Gentiles as well.  As such, it makes perfect sense that this season begins with the visit of the Magi, as they were most certainly Gentiles.  In addition to the coming of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus and the miracle where Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana are also commonly associated with the Season after Epiphany, as they are two more central events in Jesus’ life where he ‘manifested’ or revealed who he was to the world.  The biblical texts of these three events are often used in the Season after Epiphany.

This particular season of the church calendar is one that resonates with Monte Vista’s heart for world missions, as Epiphany reminds us that the mission of the church is to reach all nations with the gospel.  As we enter this season, may the following prayer guide us.