Midweek Lenten Series
A Focus on Health and Well Being: Body, Mind and Spirit
Wednesdays, March 16, 23, 30 and April 6 & 13, 2011
Dinner: 6 p.m., Nitschmann Hall, Christian Education Building
Program: 7 p.m., Old Chapel (with the final program in the Sanctuary)
Wed., March 16: Dinner, Youth Group, “Understanding Advanced Directives and New Possibilities in Home Care” Beth Boyer, Central member, Vice President of Elders
Wed., March 23: Dinner, Busy Workers, Emotional well being; the challenges of addiction, Suzanne Fischer, Central member
Wed., March 30: Dinner, Central Choir, Spiritual and physical well-being at Moravian Houses, Rev. Molly Clymer, Chaplain of Moravian Houses, and Gail Howland of St. Luke’s Health Check
Wed., April 6: Dinner, Coffee Class & Sojourners, A Contemplative Worship Experience, Coordinator: Rebecca Kleintop Owens, Director of Music, Central Moravian Church
Wed., April 13: Dinner, Men's Bible Study, Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People (speaking on his book).
This program will be held in Central’s sanctuary in partnership with St. Luke’s Hospice and major sponsor Heintzelmann’s Funeral Home. Arrangements for Rabbi Kushner made through the B'nai B'rith Lecture Bureau. Complementary tickets are available to Central Moravian Church members during early February and March. Please pick up your tickets at the Lenten series programs in March or on any weekday, 8:30 am to 3 pm, in the Church Office. Deadline: April 1. Cost of tickets to the public: $10.
Lenten and Easter Worship Calendar
Ash Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m., Sanctuary
New Members Reception Sunday, April 10, 11 a.m. , Sanctuary
Palm Sunday and Confirmation reception, April 17, 11 a.m., Sanctuary
Holy Week Readings, April 17 - 20 (7 p.m. evening)
Maudy Thursday Holy Communion, April 21, 7 p.m.
Good Friday Holy Communion, April 22, 10 a.m., Old Chapel
Crucifixion Service, Friday, April 22, 2 p.m. Sanctuary
Great Sabbath Lovefeast, Sat., April 23, 3 p.m., Sanctuary
Easter Sunday, April 24, 9 and 11 a.m. worship
What is Lent?
Spiritual enrichment has always been the goal of the Lenten season at Central Moravian Church. The season begins on Ash Wednesday (March 9) at 7 p.m. in the church sanctuary with a liturgy and message preparing the worshippers for the journey ahead, a journey of 40 days, not including Sundays.
Each Wednesday during Lent (beginning this year on March 16), the congregation is invited to gather for dinner, followed by worship and programs that highlight a different facet of spiritual development each year. An emphasis on mission, the arts and spirituality, and the work of the church in the wider community have been some of the recent series' themes.
The Palm Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on April 17 include the singing of the "Hosanna," reminiscent of the cries of the people at the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Young people in grade eight are received by the Rite of Confirmation on Palm Sunday at the 11 a.m. service, having prepared through a series of classes, to confirm their faith and accept the responsibilities of adult membership.
The evening services during Holy Week, or Passion Week, as it is sometimes called, beginning on Palm Sunday, are based upon the reading of a narrative of Jesus' last days taken from the Gospel accounts. These subsequent week night reading services, interspersed with the singing of appropriate hymn verses, provide a quiet and powerful means of spiritual preparation.
The Maundy Thursday service of Holy Communion and the solemn Good Friday Crucifixion service draw worshippers to focus on Christ's loving invitation to all. The Great Sabbath Lovefeast, on Saturday, provides a respite from the more solemn experience of the rest of Holy Week.
"The Lord is risen!" and the reply, "The Lord is risen indeed!" become the joyful greetings of pastor and congregation at the traditional Easter Dawn Sunrise service. The Bethlehem Area Moravians Trombone Choir, having toured the downtown in the early morning hours, and played chorales on the street corners, have now returned to Central Church for the first service of the day.
Beginning in the sanctuary before dawn and then moving quietly into God's Acre, the congregation is reminded of those who since last Easter day have been brought into Christ's nearer presence. The resurrection of Christ is proclaimed as the hope of all the world; the congregation affirms its faith while gathered in the old cemetery among the stone markers of Moravians who have gone before them.
Following the 9 a.m. service in the Old Chapel, the children celebrate Easter with their own special custom: a Scripture Egg Hunt on the green outside the Old Chapel at 10 a.m. Children from toddlers on up compete with frisky squirrels to find brightly colored eggs with scripture verses and candy tucked inside.
The 11 a.m. Easter Triumph service is a truly exciting and memorable experience. The service features brass and tympani accompanying the Central Choir.
Each program, hymn and prayer during the Lenten season has led to this final crescendo of Easter joy. Many agree that the Moravians are known as the "Easter people" for good reason!
Pictured to the right: Central member and author Vangie Sweitzer has written Tuned for Praise, a wonderful book about the history of the Bethlehem Trombone Choir.
To inquire about ordering your copy, please call the church office (610-866-5661) or email office@centralmoravianchurch.org.