Lent and Easter
A gathering of features and other resources centered on the Lenten season. Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, is a period of 40 days, not including Sundays, that precede Easter.
Lenten Reflections for 2009
Lenten reflections for 2009 from the the General Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Women.
Stepping into the World at Easter
Stepping into the World at Easter
Edward W. Paup, Global Ministries General Secretary4/11/09: This year's message is a reminder that Christ's love is everywhere - even at the bus station.
Love, Sacrifice, and Forgiveness Easter, April 12, 2009
by Nazgul WilliamAway from my home country, I keep tuned to Pakistan news, since my parents, siblings and their children, many relatives, and friends live there. From childhood I observed the tensions between India and Pakistan, which were once a united nation where overall people lived peacefully and respectfully. Read more ...
God-Given Identity: First Sunday in Lent, Sunday, March 1, 2009
by Cathy Whitlatch
In Mark's account of Jesus' baptism, Jesus "saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'" God poured God's self through the torn heavens--identifying Jesus as God's own. Read more ...
Pilgrimages for Peace (UMW): Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009
By Lyda Pierce
They left their families, their homes and their jobs. They left communities where they felt safe, where they knew the language, where the streets were familiar such that they could find their way to buy groceries while thinking about something else. They came to a place where the people spoke a different language; where it didn’t matter if you could find the grocery store as its shelves where nearly empty; where they would find young soldiers with automatic weapons on the street corners; and where the occasional boom of a supersonic spy plane would rattle the buildings and send people running for cover. Read more ...
Fasting as an Act of Hope: Ash Wednesday, February 25, 2009
by Dan Randall
Ash Wednesday, Lent, and fasting often conjure up ideas of sorrow, rebellion, and repentance. But Jesus opens a new angle on fasting in Matthew, reminding us that pursuing God--and not merely the trappings of worship--remains an ever-changing, God-centered process. As Jesus addresses the crowd, he encourages holiness and challenges hubris, reminding them that they live in community and belong to a great story. Read more ...
'We Know that God Still Goes that Road with Us': Second Sunday in Lent, March 8, 2009
by Miguel Arenas-Herrera
The encounter with Christ radically changes someone's life. Nevertheless, there are certain conditions to following Jesus. Peter didn't understand Jesus' plan when He spoke to him about suffering on the cross. Peter had accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but he didn't accept him as a suffering Messiah. As a result of that, Jesus described his path to the cross and the meaning of it for the life of his disciples. Read more ...
God's Temples: Third Sunday in Lent, Sunday, March 15, 2009
By Helen Roberts-Evans
When Jesus went to Jerusalem to observe Passover, he found the temple being used as a place for monetary gain. Animals were being sold for sacrifice, and moneychangers were sitting at tables. Jesus drove out the animals and turned over the moneychangers' tables. Read more ...
Where Are My Eyes?: Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 22, 2009
by Wilma Burren Dunbar
During their time wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel became dissatisfied with God and Moses (Numbers 21:4-9). Though they had been rescued from slavery, were being fed manna and protected, it was still not enough for them. Read more ...
A Deaconess Reflects on Lent and Childhood in the Philippines; Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 29, 2009
by Liwliwa T. Robledo
Growing up in a rural town in the Philippines, Lent had a meaningful impact on me. When the Lenten season arrived, the whole town, made up of Roman Catholics and Protestants, was in a reflective mood. In my young mind, there seemed to be a pall of gloom in our town during Lent. Read more ...
