Woodland United Methodist Church
Rock Hill, South Carolina
The Full Story
LENT
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday. The forty days are symbolic of Jesus' trial and preparation in the wilderness after His baptism and before the beginning of His ministry. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lectern which means spring. It is a time of preparation for celebration of Easter.
The liturgical color for Lent is purple or violet which signifies penitence, humility and suffering. Lent is a time for fasting, repentance, self denial and spiritual disciplines to set aside time for reflecting on Christ's suffering, sacrifice, death and resurrection.
During the season of Lent, some Christians choose to give up a habit or behavior as a form of self-denial. This can be anything from giving up chocolate to fasting. Others will commit to a special devotional activity like daily scripture reading or volunteering in the community. The purpose is to focus our heart on mind on Jesus during the journey to Easter.
During Holy Week, we will have worship opportunities that will allow us to reenact some of the events of Jesus' life, trial, and crucifixion. By walking with Jesus through this week in worship, we demonstrate we understand the significance of what he did for us. Also, the more of these services in which we participate, the greater our resurrection joy will be on Easter morning!
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. The week ends with the celebration of Easter, and throughout this week we mark the different events that led to Jesus. . Resurrection and Easter. This name Palm Sunday comes from the story in the Bible when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on his way to celebrate the Passover. It helps us to remember Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. "Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Prayer Labyrinth
Walk the prayer labyrinth in the Family Life Center as a way to center yourself and reflect on the season. The Labyrinth will be open Thursday 4pm - 6pm and Friday 8am - 2pm and 4pm - 7pm.
Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is an alternate name for Holy Thursday, the first of the three days of solemn remembrance of the events leading up to and immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus. The English word "Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, which means "commandment."
On this day Christians commemorate the supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his trial and crucifixion. That night as Jesus shared this meal with his disciples, he washed their feet and instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion). Maundy Thursday and foot washing are a reminder of the servant hood of Jesus as he washed the disciple's feet and gave a new commandment to love one another.
Good Friday-Seven Last Words
During this service we will listen to meditations on the seven utterances that Jesus made while hanging on the cross. You can also symbolically nail your sins to the cross.
On this day many churches will commemorate this day by stripping the altar. The stripping of the altar reminds of the desolation and abandonment of the long night in Gethsemane and what followed. During this time all paraments and worship symbols are removed from the sanctuary as lights are dimmed.
Good Friday- Tenebrae Service
Marking the death of Christ, we will gradually descend from light into darkness as we hear scripture readings about Jesus' trial and crucifixion
On this day we remember Christ's crucifixion on the cross. On this day, Jewish leaders brought Jesus to the Romans for sentencing. He was sentenced to crucifixion, the highest form of criminal punishment at the time. He was beaten, striped and forced to carry a heavy wooden cross through crowds. He was finally nailed to the cross by his hands and feet, where he hung until he died later that day.
Prayer Vigil
Prayer Vigil - Apr. 18- Apr. 20 To mark the time Jesus spent in the grave, we will hold an around-the-clock prayer vigil following the Tenebrae service.You will sign up for a 1 or 2 hour time slot in which you will sit in the sanctuary by yourself (or with the person of your choosing) and pray for the church and the world. The vigil will end at sunrise on Easter morning.
Easter
Easter Sunday is considered by many to be one of the most joyous and most celebrated seasons in the Christian year. On this day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and we remember his gift of salvation for all. Easter is not just one day but it is a season of 50 days ending with Pentecost Sunday. White or gold are the colors typically used Easter on to represent the purity and glory on the resurrection Sunday.