It feels like we just finished Advent and yet here we are again at Lent!
Lent was originally a season for new converts to learn and prepare for their baptism on Easter. During that time, they would study what was central to Christianity. This year, we are going to be exploring the Sancitfied Art series “Tell Me Something Good”.
So what does this mean for us? We have spent much of epiphany naming the evil that is at work in our world. But now we need to focus on the good news-not ignoring what is happening around us-but breathing hope into a world so desperate for something-anything-good.
One way of resisting the urge to draw inward is to work alongside our neighbours to bring the good news of the gospel message to fruition. I’m happy to say that this is something we have been doing in Westdale for over 50 years! So I hope that you will take time this Lent season to attend one or more of our shared Westdale services. As many churches are struggling to figure out what it means to work alongside other congregations and denominations, we are already doing it. Our shared services are as follows:
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday February 18th
7:00pm
Hosted by St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Message by Rev. Terry DeForest
Maundy Thursday
Thursday April 2nd
7:00pm
Hosted by St. Cuthbert’s Presbyterian
Message by: TBA
Good Friday Crosswalk and Service
Friday April 3rd
Crosswalk: Meet at 9:30am at St. Cuthbert’s Presbyterian. We will stop along the way offering reflection and prayer, ending at St. Paul’s Anglican.
Service: 10:30am at St. Paul’s Anglican. *Feel free to attend both or just the service*
Message by Rev. Deb Kigar.
Westdale United will also be gathering on Easter morning at 8am for our Sunrise Service at 85 Oak Knoll Drive. Following this there will be a light breakfast at the church at 9am as well as an egg hunt for the youth followed by our Easter morning service at 10:30am.
We hope you will join us at all or some of these services!
Here is a description of what you can expect in our lenten series:
“As we crafted this series, we studied what was central to Jesus’ life and ministry: radical welcome, love for neighbor, care for the vulnerable, nourishment for the hungry, nonviolence in the face of injustice. At the heart of Jesus’ teachings, we find liberation, love, mercy, and grace—all of which are meant to be very good news for us all.
Jesus’ words are easily distorted and sanitized in our modern world. Following Jesus leads to a richer, more expansive life, but it’s not necessarily comfortable. Jesus’ ministry can be described as “radical” which comes from the Latin word “radicalis,” meaning “root” or “ground.” Therefore, the good news should bring us back to our roots. Emulating Jesus and embodying his teachings should ground us in who God created us to be. Can we be “good news” people in a world too often burdened by bad news?
This Lent, let us remember that the good news really is good news. It is joyful—like fine wine saved for celebration. It grows like a mustard seed and smells like perfume poured from an alabaster jar. It tastes like bread passed endlessly through a hungry crowd. It sounds like laughter and feels like mercy. The good news is alive in the world.
We hope this series will provide fertile ground for conversation and worship, rooting our hearts and lives in the expansive goodness of God. This Lent, let the teachings of Jesus lead us forward. May the good news inspire us to take action in a world desperate to hear, see, and taste what is good.”
With blessings,
Evan