Come with us on a “Journey to the Cross” during this Lent. This is an invitation to pick up the
cross and follow Christ, and to keep on going all the way to His Resurrection and to learn how to live
forever.
Originally, the word Lent came from an early Anglo-Saxon word that simply meant “spring.”
Lent was a liturgical season to focus on the meaning of repentance and the importance of fasting
and prayer. It was a time of spiritual preparation for baptismal vows and for joining the Body of
Christ, and it was a season composed of forty days leading into Holy Week. We are invited in this
journey to reclaim the understanding that every Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s Resurrection and
life, especially since we are now set free in this new movement of Global Methodists to worship in
Holy Spirit and in Truth. Learn more by visiting: globalmethodist.org
Historically, Holy Week focused on the Great Three Days, sometimes called the Paschal
Triduum, which concluded Lent. The Triduum started on Maundy/Holy Thursday, included Good
Friday, and continued through sunset on Saturday evening, sometimes with an Easter candlelight
vigil. But oftentimes such religious traditions have overlooked many deeper Hebrew roots of the
Messiah’s death on the Cross and the central focus on Christ’s blood being shed for us as the
sacrificial Lamb of God. And many have even overlooked that there were originally two Sabbath
days during that week of Passover, and such historical miscalculations have almost forgotten that
Jesus said He would be in the grave for three full days and three full nights (see Matthew 12:40).
Religion can get in the way of a living Relationship…
I pray we will all keep our focus on who Jesus is as we Journey to the Cross; He came to seek
and save the lost, and we’re lost in this world which is why we need a Savior. Please make a note of
our special services in two locations during Holy Week as we remember the Last Supper with Holy
Communion on Holy Thursday (3/28) at 6:00 PM in Clewiston; and then we focus on Christ’s
Crucifixion for us on Good Friday (3/29) in Moore Haven, also at 6:00 PM.
We will boldly celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus in our regular Sunday morning
services on March 31st. May all our celebrations of joy and praise continue throughout the next
“Great Fifty Days” that focus on knowing the power of His Resurrection, and these take us all the
way to Pentecost Sunday as we celebrate the gifts of the Holy Spirit! The bottom line is that ours is a
relational journey. We’ve only just begun to live forever with Jesus at the center of it all!
Come Celebrate with us, and Proclaim Jesus as your Lord!
Pastor Jonathan Singleton