Introduction

Lent is the annual observance of 40 days of reflection during the weeks leading up to Easter, including Holy Week that re-enacts the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

The church traditionally considers 40 days to be a manageable time to commit to a new rhythm of worship, justice, service, and study. We have put together a guide to opportunities at First Church for this season: I hope you take advantage of them! These opportunities are important. Acts of service build muscle memory. Learning about injustice bends our senses to spot them more readily. Repetition retrains our neural pathways. Study and enrichment fill us up so we can go out again to serve, and to advocate. 

We need these 40 days of Lent because this season shapes us into the followers of Jesus we need to be in 2024. 

Blessings,

~Rev. Jeremy 

Opportunities for Worship

• Ash Wednesday, February 14th @ Noon, Sanctuary
  • Our traditional Ash Wednesday service, a time when we pause to reflect on our own mortality, and the ephemeral nature of human life. Participants will be marked with ash from burned palm leaves in worship, if desired. 
  • Click here for details

• Holy Week services
  • Palm Sunday service held on Sunday, March 24th at 10:30am. After worship, the congregation is invited to tour the children’s and youth’s spaces that have created a Holy Week Experience for adults and children alike. 
  • Maundy Thursday service held on Thursday, March 28th at 6pm in the Fellowship Hall for our traditional family-style meal and spontaneous Reader’s Theatre. 
  • Good Friday service held on Friday, March 29th at 6pm with choral music guiding our reflections on loss and the experience of ruin. 
  • Easter Sunday service held on Sunday, March 31st at 10:30am. We will celebrate the Risen Christ and Confirm our Confirmation students! 

Opportunities for Justice and Service

Volunteer with Food Lifeline on Saturday, March 2nd

• Join the Global Missions team in support of ending hunger in Western Washington. We will be at Food Lifeline helping sort food for neighbors in need. Food Lifeline distributes food to 350 food banks, shelters and meal programs. Volunteers ages 10 and over are welcome to participate, making this a great opportunity for families. The event is from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 2. Space is limited to 12 volunteers. Participants should register by February 21. 
• Register here by February 21st

Shared Breakfast, each Sunday morning!

• This ministry of First Church for over 20 years that provides a hot, nutritious breakfast to those in need in downtown Seattle, is still going strong despite the challenges of operating during the pandemic.  Every Sunday, volunteers from the congregation as well as the community, come to Fellowship Hall, to prepare, cook and package meals in take-out bags for walk-up guests.  We are feeding around 130 people every Sunday. 
• Sign up to volunteer!

Opportunities for Spiritual Enrichment

• Daily Lenten devotional begins February 14th. 
  • This year during Lent, First Church publishes a daily Lenten Devotional. Each devotional will include a scripture passage, and a reflection written by someone in the First Church community. Sign up below to receive your copy by mail or by daily email. 
  • Click here for details
• Lenten Lunches begin February 18th: Lunch is served at 12 noon (sign up here) followed by your choice of spiritual enrichment:
  • Deconstructionist Playbook Conversation
    • Deconstruction is a liberating process of surveying all the elements of one’s faith in order to decide which to keep, which to reimagine, and which to throw away. Holly Harvey will lead us in exploring devotionals looking at important topics springing from important questions such as Where do I go from here? Where do I belong? The Deconstructionists Playbook is an anthology of the writing of some 60 authors. You do not need to have read the book. If you are unable to attend in person. Join us online! Click here to join through Zoom
  • Lenten Devotional Discussion
    • This conversation will reflect on the devotionals of the week, finding connections with our own lives and hearing testimonies by the authors that week. Led by Vi Boyer. Click here for the devotional
  • Youth Confirmation
    • Youth ages 13+ will meet with Pastor Jeremy and April Little to participate in Confirmation. Click here for details.
• Adult Confirmation Class
  • Class participants can be baptized or reaffirm their faith at the worship service on Sunday, April 7th.
  • Click here for details
• Pub Theology, Thursday, February 29th @ 7:00pm
  • Come join the conversation as we discuss faith and life. All are welcome, hosted by Vintners.
  • Click here for details