Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
One year ago, 17 pilgrims from First UMC of Torrance went on a journey to walk where Jesus walked. Today, it is still difficult to put into words how rich and meaningful the trip was for me. Sailing on the Sea of Galilee, kneeling in Bethlehem at Christ’s birthplace, and walking from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane were a few of the priceless stops that we made on our way to the Garden Tomb.
The season of Lent is a pilgrims’ journey with Jesus. Day by day and week by week we journey through the stories of Jesus, retracing His steps up Calvary, onto the cross and into the tomb before the sunrise of Easter. Each of us chooses the depth of our journey through the spiritual disciplines we commit to and the way we open our hearts to experience the Spirit.
The journey begins on Wednesday, March 6, at 7:30pm in our sanctuary for our connectional Ash Wednesday service with combined choir and guest preacher.
Throughout Lent, we will journey with Jesus each week in Sunday morning worship and in Tuesday morning Bible study. We will stop to hear the stories, to see the sights and to breathe in the presence of God. With each story of Jesus, we will incorporate a piece of the Lord’s Prayer, drawing a complete picture of the meaning of the prayer of all disciples.
Finally, on Fridays, March 8 and April 12, we invite you to make a special stop on our Lenten journey for our “Faith Nights” from 6:30 to 8:30pm. On these nights we are inviting the whole church family to eat together, sing together and study the Word together. Children, youth, adults, and seniors are invited and encouraged to sit around the table together for a fun, interactive and meaningful night of faith and formation.
I hope you are as excited for this journey as I am.
Blessings, Pastor Stacy