Ash Wednesday Supper and Worship
Wednesday, February 22 – 6:00 pm Supper and 7:00 pm Worship Service
To begin the season of Lent, Hope Church is grateful to join with Maple Avenue Ministries, Holland UCC, and BLVD for an Ash Wednesday shared meal and worship.
- 6:00pm Supper – please sign up at tinyurl.com/AshWednesdaySupper
- 7:00pm Worship Service in the Hope Church sanctuary will include scripture, music, prayer and an invitation to receive the imposition of ashes. The imposition of ashes is an ancient symbol of repentance and blessing that calls us into the Lenten season of renewed faith and discipleship through the story of Jesus Christ. We look forward to an evening of fellowship and worship together – all are welcome.
- Volunteers are needed for set up and cleanup. You can sign up at tinyurl.com/Feb22Volunteers or in the Gathering Area.
Lenten Devotional: Henri Matisse and the Colors of Lent
For the Lenten season, we are making a devotional available for all of our households. This creative resource from the Salt Project will be available in the Gathering Area.
From the gray of Ash Wednesday to the brilliant dawn of Easter Sunday, the season of Lent is a journey through color. And so what better guides to this journey than the words of Scripture and the art of Henri Matisse, one of the most daring, influential artists in modern history? In this devotional full of Scripture, art, and weekly practices, we walk alongside Matisse from his childhood in northern France to what he called his “masterpiece,” the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence. Matisse once said he liked to pray with a pencil: “At the moment I go every morning to say my prayers, pencil in hand; I stand in front of a pomegranate tree covered in blossom, each flower at a different stage, and I watch their transformation… filled with admiration for the work of God. Is this not a way of praying?” Week by week, we’ll travel through the colors of Lent – all the way to the beautiful, joyful dawn of Easter morning.
You can access an electronic version of this devotional at tinyurl.com/2023LentDevotional
Small Group Experience for Lent: Bless the Lent We Actually Have
Thursday in March – 1pm or 7pm – March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
You are invited to join for a group gathering, led by Pastors Jill and Gordon, reading, reflecting, and engaging with insights from author Kate Bowler using the book The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days . Bowler invites us to engage with “whatever this season is bringing you—the lovely, the difficult, the heartbreaking – let’s bless it all this Lent.”
- sign up for the small group at tinyurl.com/2023LentSmallGroup
- order a book for $10 through the same link above
- accompanying devotional and group discussion materials will be provided.
Holy Week Worship and Events
- Palm Sunday, April 2, 11:00am Worship: “Worship for the Way of the Cross” A dramatic weaving together of scripture, music, dance and song to draw us into the gospel narrative from the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday to the passion of Jesus.
- Seder Dinner, April 6, 6:00 p.m. This traditional Jewish meal remembers the events of the Passover told in the book of Exodus. There will be a pot luck meal as part of the Seder so please bring a dish to pass. Sign up for the Seder in the Gathering Area or by using this link tinyurl.com/2023Seder
- Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service, April 6, 7:45pm The service follows the path of Jesus’ passion through the Last Supper and includes communion, prayer, scripture and music.
- Easter Sunday, April 9 9:40am Easter Brunch ~ please bring a breakfast item to share; 11:00 am Worship Service ~ Celebrate the Risen Lord!