Welcome, Lenten sojourners.
From the beginning of Lent until now we have been preparing our hearts by repentance and self-sacrifice. Today, with the whole Church, we herald the beginning of the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. On this day our Lord Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem and was welcomed as King with palms and shouts of praise. Today we greet him as our King, though we know his crown was a crown of thorns, and his throne a cross.
Within the framework of the Lenten season, the last week stands out for special attention, not simply because it contains Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, but because the whole week is a commemoration and celebration of our Lord’s Passion.
This week of the Passion is inaugurated on Passion Sunday (Palm Sunday or 6th Sunday of Lent) with the reading of the Passion Gospel which sets the tone for the rest of the week.
We mark this week as one of special solemnity, the decoration of the liturgical space mark the change by using passion red as the color. A large cross will be placed centrally, for this is the Week of the Cross. Branches and Palm fronds will be left in the church from Sunday through to Maundy Thursday when they will be removed.
You are invited and encouraged to come to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services in-person. However, Holy Week services will be available online and Holy Week reflections on social media (FAUMC website and Facebook) for those who cannot attend in person or online.
Come, follow our Lord this Holy Week, from his triumphal entry, through his suffering and death, to the glory of his resurrection. Amen!
To the glory of God,
Pastor Clarissa
Gratitude is Key to Living a Spirituality of Stewardship
Over the past weeks, I have invited our members and friends to give to our annual stewardship ministry. The main criterion for these invitations is that they live their lives as Christian stewards. These are folks who are “all in” at the church and who have been generous in sharing their gifts, time, talents, and tithes through the missions and ministry of Fifth Ave. United Methodist Church. Your commitment of financial support, no matter how small or how large, will be a great help to our church as we seek to balance our budget and live into to the plans God has for the life and purpose of our church. Each of you have been instrumental in helping the church grow and become the vibrant beloved community of faith that we are today.
The common thread that has run through all your committed and various giving: GRATITUDE! Without exception, persons who live Christian stewardship are also people who are grateful for what God has given them. STEWARDSHIP and GRATITUDE go hand in hand.
Open our hearts and minds to your abundance grace so that we might be good stewards of Your gifts!
As faithful stewards teach us to receive Your gifts gratefully, nurture them responsibly, share them selflessly, and return them to You with increase, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gratefully in Christ.