First United Methodist Church of Boulder

Lenten Devotional 2010

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Forward

This Lenten Devotional Book is complied by United Methodist Women and is for the whole congregation written by the congregation. Lent is often known as the awkward season and we hope that this brings meaning as we transition from the joys of the birth of Christ to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection.

We are dedicating this to the memory of Madeline Wallace who brought such spirit to many of us.

Thank you to all who submitted contributions. We greatly appreciate the assistance and counsel of Julie Heins for all her great help. We also thank Lisa Dilling for helping create the on-line version.

Beth Hayward and Connie Takamine -- Editors

About Lent

Lent is the forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Sundays are not counted. Sunday is always considered a little Easter. The forty days represent the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism.

Easter is calculated by using the moon cycles. Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon. In 2010 Easter is April 4.

On Ash Wednesday the placing of the sign of the cross in ashes on our foreheads is more of a sensory way of worshipping through touch. Traditionally the ashes used are ashes saved from burning the palms that were waved on Palm Sunday the year previously.

For us, Lent is a transformative journey in time from Ash Wednesday to Easter. We think of Lent as a penitential season, a season of sacrifice and study. We would like to avoid taking the journey with Jesus. We do not want the implications and the dangers. We want to think about spiritual insights and our interior life rather than confront political or unjust religious work.
We hope we can concentrate on heaven instead of earth. On the future rather than the present and above all, about our safety rather than get involved.

In part paraphrased from The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan

Download Entire Devotional Booklet [pdf]