PROVIDENCE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 113 OLD DARE ROAD, YORKTOWN VA 23692 Rev. Lisa Blackmonson 757-898-9160 [email protected]

We will soon be entering the Lenten Season of our church calendar. This year the “Season” begins with , February 17 and ends Sunday, April 4. Join Us on Feb. 17 at 7pm live on Facebook, service will be recorded for you to view later, drive-thru PUMC parking lot night before, 5-7pm for material that will be handed out for the service on Ash Wednesday live.

Look for e-mails in the coming weeks. One will be about plans and activities leading up to Easter. There will be mission projects for each week leading up to . Most are fairly easy and can be done as a family. You can do all or as many as you feel your and your family can handle. We have all been very insular the last almost year and very cut off from each other. As a staff it was thought that having reasons to reach outside of our families might be helpful in preparations for Easter. Everyone should be able to find something they can do. If you know of other families you would like to share any of these emails with, feel free to do so. We are all looking forward to the time we can all gather together again to worship. Please continue to pray for our pastor and your church leadership members.

LENT is the season of reflection and preparation before the celebrations of Easter. By observing the 46 days of Lent, Christians replicate Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. It is a time of repentance, when Christians confess their sins and profess their devotion to God. During the Ash Wednesday service ashes are placed on a worshiper's forehead in the shape of a cross. The ashes symbolize both death and repentance as well as mourning for our sins, because we believe Christ died for them The ashes are often the burnt ashes from the previous year Psalm Sunday Service. 1 History of Lent

In 325, the Council of Nicea discussed a 40-day Lenten season of , but it's unclear whether its original intent was just for new Christians preparing for Baptism, but it soon encompassed the whole Church. Lent was first observed in the fourth century as the 46-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It’s focus was on self-examination and self-denial, and Christians used fasting (abstaining from eating food) in the early years as a visible demonstration of this process.

Early Christians felt the importance of Easter called for special preparations. It is thought that the tradition may have grown from the early church practice of baptismal candidates undergoing a 46 day period of fasting in preparation for their baptism at Easter. Eventually, the season evolved into a period of spiritual devotion for the whole church. During the initial centuries, the Lenten fast was very strict but relaxed over time. Over the years, Lent has become less strict in almost every western tradition. In the , for example, the number of obligatory fasting days decreased incrementally from six days a week to three, and then eventually, to just two in the whole season of Lent: Ash Wednesday and . The well known “fish on Friday” tradition began in the United States in 1966 when the Pope affirmed the abstinence from “flesh” on Fridays. In every tradition, however, the act of “giving something up” has remained strong. For all of these changes, though, the tradition of Lent is still largely recognizable to what it was nearly 2,000 years ago.

In recent years, Lent has resurged in importance among mainline Protestant churches and has even seen renewal among evangelicals. In a time that some call the “post-Christian era, “many evangelicals have gained a new appreciation for the Church Liturgical Calendar, and for a season to reflect on their need for the cross and to prepare their hearts to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. For all faithful observers, Lent is about Jesus and what he did.”

Orthodox Christians are rigorous in their observance of fasting during Lent, believing that regular fasting is a crucially important discipline for one’s spiritual growth. Meat, dairy products, and eggs (which historically were considered more luxury foods than ordinary breads) aren’t allowed, with some additional restrictions on certain days. They can only eat fish (which was historically considered less of a luxury than red meat) on the feasts of the Annunciation and . Catholic churches continue to practice celebration of Lent but have relaxed many of the requirements of the early church.

Some Protestant denominations observe Lent, but many Protestant churches attach less significance to the season of Lent than to the individual Holy days leading up to Easter. For those Christian observers, Lent is a time of repentance, moderation, self-denial, and spiritual discipline. The purpose of the Lenten season is to set aside for reflection on Jesus Christ— to consider his suffering and his sacrifice, his life, death, burial, and resurrection. Christians who observe Lent typically make a commitment to fast, or to give up something—a habit, like smoking, watching TV, swearing, or a food or drink, such as sweets, chocolate, or coffee. Some Christians also take on a Lenten discipline, like reading the Bible and spending more time in prayer to draw nearer to God. Some take on a service project of some kind to help those who are less fortunate or to provide a service. There are also opportunities to attend church services such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, , Good Friday, and of course Easter.

2 Symbols of Lent

A Money Bag: Symbolizes the Lenten practice of helping those less fortunate through missions and other giving, It also symbolized the betrayal of Jesus by Judas.

Thorns Symbolizes the crown placed on Christ’s head;

Ashes Symbolize death and repentance

Water It symbolizes Christ washing the apostle’s feet, Living Waters

Bread and Wine Symbolize the Jesus had with his disciples and the Communion service we celebrate

The Cross Symbolizes Christ’s crucifixion and victory over death, and salvation

Easter Lilies Symbolize the purity of Christ

3 Customs

SHROVE TUESDAY is the day before Lent starts: the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It's a day of penitence, to clean the soul, and a day of celebration as the last chance to feast before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is sometimes called Pancake Day after the fried batter recipe traditionally eaten on this day. But there's more to Shrove Tuesday than pigging out on pancakes or taking part in a public pancake race. The pancakes themselves are part of an ancient custom with deeply religious roots. Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the ritual of shriving that Christians used to undergo in the past. In shriving, a person confesses their sins and receives absolution for them. When a person receives absolution for their sins, they are forgiven for them and released from the guilt and pain that they have caused them.

MARDI GRAS The Feast before the feast - French for “Fat Tuesday”, as we know it today, actually comes from the tradition called . Shrovetide was the final celebration before Lent. During Lent, people would typically wear dark clothing, abstain from meat and rich foods, and avoid celebrations. Therefore, Shrove Tuesday—the day before Lent—provided people with an opportunity to engage in one last celebration, wear colorful costumes and decorations, and use up the rich foods in their homes. Today, celebrations have become rather popular and family-oriented in places such as New Orleans, where schoolchildren even get the day off. Some of the events associated with Mardi Gras may be rather raucous, but the basic meaning of the celebration remains. King Cake, a circular-shaped pastry decorated with icing and colored sugar. The colors of the sug- ar—which are also the colors of Mardi Gras—are purple, green and gold. The colors, in order, signify justice, faith and power. A small plastic baby is inserted inside the cake. Whoever gets the baby in his or her piece is said to have good luck for the next year—and must also supply next year’s cake!

EASTER The origins of the Hunt comes from Germany. Some suggest that its origins date back to the late 16th century, when the Protestant reformer Martin Luther organized egg hunts for his congregation. The men would hide the eggs for the women and children to find. This was a nod to the story of the resurrection, in which the empty tomb was discovered by women. In the medieval period eating eggs was forbidden during Lent, the 46 day period before Easter. On Easter Sunday the fast ended with feasting and merriment, and eggs were considered an important part of these celebrations. This was especially true for poorer people who couldn’t afford meat. Eggs were also given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers often gave eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter. Royals got involved with this tradition too – in 1290 Edward I purchased 450 eggs to be decorated with colors or gold leaf and then distributed to his household.

SPRING CLEANING According to an ancient tradition the three days after Palm Sunday are devoted to a thorough cleaning of the house. Walls washed, floors waxed, and mattresses carried into the out- doors for airing. The meals were light and by Wednesday everything was back in its place. This was to prepare the home for the great feast of Easter. The tradition was perhaps borrowed from the Jews of the Old Testament. They cleaned and decorated in preparation for the feast of the . This ambitious practice may be a worthwhile tradition to "resurrect." It certainly serves as an external sign of the value in preparing the heart and home for the great celebration of Easter.

LAMB Lamb is a traditional . Christians refer to Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” though lamb at Easter also has roots in early Passover celebrations. In the story of Exodus, the people of Egypt suffered a series of terrible plagues, including the death of all firstborn sons. Members of the Jewish faith painted their doorposts with sacrificed lamb’s blood so that God would “pass over” their homes. Jews who converted to continued the tradition of eating lamb at Easter. Historically, lamb would have been one of the first fresh meats available after a long winter with no livestock to slaughter. 4

Recipes Hot Cross Buns 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast • 2 cups warm whole milk (110 to 115, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 large eggs, room temperature, 1/4 tsp. ground allspice, 1/3 cup softened butter, 6-7 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup dried currants, 1-1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup raisins, 1 large egg yolk, 2 tbs. water Icing • 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, 4-6 tsp. whole milk In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm mild. In a large bowl, combine eggs, butter, sugar, salt, spices, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour, beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in currants, raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). • Turn onto a floured surface; knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

• Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 30 balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.

• Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each bun. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool slightly.

• For icing, in a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Pipe a cross on top of each bun. Serve warm.

Traditional King Cake

Ingredients • 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast, 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°), 3/4 cup sugar, divided, 1/2 cup butter, softened, 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°), 2 large egg yolks, room temperature, 1-1/4 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 large egg, beaten GLAZE: • 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 to 3 tablespoons water, Green, purple and yellow sugars In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

• Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16x10-in. rectangle. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over dough to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Brush with egg.

• Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve desired consistency. Spread over cake. Sprinkle with colored sugars.

5