Ash Wednesday

March 2, 6:30pm Divine Service

In Scripture, ashes serve both as a symbol of mortality and as a sign of mourning and repentance. In the Ash Wednesday service we are reminded of our mortality, we confess our sins, and we experience forgiveness through Christ’s death and resurrection. A central practice in the Ash Wednesday service is when those gathered physically embody what is in their hearts when they receive the “imposition of ashes” on our foreheads and hear the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Praise be to God that sin and death do not have the final word! We leave the service in confidence and gratitude: Christ has conquered death, and nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Vespers

Wednesdays at 6:30pm

(No service on March 23rd)

Each Wednesday in Lent we gather together to be refocused around Christ’s passion. As it is customary for Vespers to be a catechetical service, this year we meditate on the Lord’s Supper, under the theme “Fasting and Feasting”

Festival of the Annunciation

Friday, March 25th at 6:30pm

Return to Wittenberg and Faith Lutheran Church, Oregon, WI will be hosting a special Festival of the Annunciation Service on March 25th at 6:30pm.  

The Feast of the Annunciation commemorates the announcement of the Messiah’s birth by the Holy Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It takes place on March 25th every year, exactly 9 months (the typical length of human gestation) before Christmas Day.Before the Service, there will be a fellowship meal in the church basement beginning around 5:30pm.

Prayer

Daily

Pray the Catechism during the 40 days in Lent, using this booklet.

Almsgiving (Charity & Acts of Mercy)

Mid-March

Spring Cleaning Drive
Target dates: March 21-26

Spring Cleaning Drive: We will collect personal health and hygiene products from our community for the local food pantry.

Faith In Action: Members who have been blessed financially by the Lord are encouraged to give to our church’s Faith In Action fund, which is set up to help families in need in our community.

Ukraine Crisis Fund: Our Christian brothers and sisters in Ukraine are in need of our support. First and foremost, they need our prayers to God for peace and security. There is also a very great need for humanitarian assistance as the war continues to destroy lives and property. The ELS Board for Christian Service has established the Ukraine Crisis Fund to aid our brothers and sisters in the Ukrainian Lutheran Church and the Gift of Life program as well as other Ukrainians in need. To contribute to this fund, go to els.org/donate. Checks may be sent to ELS Ukraine Crisis Fund, 6 Browns Ct., Mankato, MN 56001.

Fasting

Throughout Lent

Fasting, or giving something up that is a regular part of life is to remind us how completely we depend on the Lord.  It is not dieting, as the focus of dieting often becomes my will-power.  Rather, the focus of fasting is the Lord Jesus.  The point is that when we give something up, we replace it with Jesus.  For example, if a person chooses to not eat a meal, the time normally spent in preparation and eating would be spent reading and meditating on God’s Word.

Bible Study

Women’s Bible Study: Tuesdays at 7:00pm at the Parsonage

Men’s Bible Study: 6:30pm, 2nd Tuesday of the month

Young Adult Study: March 12, April 2

During Lent, our studies are perfect ways to focus on Jesus.

The men’s study is on “Christ Have Mercy: Putting Your Faith in Action.”

The women’s study is “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?: 12 False Christs”

The young adult study is on what it means to be a Christian in the family, in the church, and in the world.

Books are  available for purchase if you would like to own them, otherwise you may borrow from church, but please let Pastor know so we can have enough books.

Paschal Triduum

Maundy Thursday: April 14 6:30pm

Good Friday: April 15 6:30pm

Easter Vigil: April 16 7:27pm

Paschal = The Biblical word for “Easter”
Triduum = “The Three Days.”

After 40 Days of Lent, the Christian Year has now reached its climax. We have come to the celebration of the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the celebration for which we have been preparing throughout Lent. Now we see what our Savior came to do. We see Him suffer and die for our sins and for the sins of the world. And we see Him rise triumphantly on Easter morning to assure us that our salvation is complete, the victory is won.

All three services are dramatic each in their own way and intimately connected to each other. The focus as always, is Christ.