Ash Wednesday - March 1st from 5pm - 9pm

Why observe ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the 46th day before Easter (40 days of fasting excluding 6 Sundays, which are not meant to be fasting days) in order to mirror the experience Jesus had where he spent 40 days in the desert.

In Ash Wednesday and Lent we acknowledge that throughout the year we accumulate habits that take up our time and energy. Some of these habits aren't immoral, some of them are. In lent we let one of them go to create more space for God. In Lent we observe the things we've become slaves to and do the hard work of letting them go.

It was in the desert that Jesus realized that all he needed was to trust the love of the Father. In lent we hope to discover the same.

Why ashes?

Ashes remind us that we came from the dirt and one day we will return (Gen 3:19). Ashes remind us that one day a lot of the things we fill our day with will not matter at all. We won't worry about our clothes, our food, or our popularity. Ashes remind us that in the end there will only be one person there with us, and that is Jesus.

On Wednesday, March 1st from 5pm - 9pm we will be creating a space for you to come and start Lent in worship, prayer and letting go.

You can come for anytime between 5 and 9. Come on your way home from work, come after dinner, come whenever you like!

You will have opportunity to join our worship leaders in song, or sit and pray, or read scriptures.

As well, there will be a space to lay down a physical object that represents what you are fasting from. If you're fasting a food item, bring in what is left of that in your house. If it is a device, bring it in. If it is something like Social Media, well, think of something to bring in :). Think of things that are enslaving you that you don't need to be enslaved to anymore!

Items of value will be donated to people in need.

My prayer and hope is that we realize that all we need to live is Jesus, that we prepare our hearts for His resurrection, and spend 40 days just a little bit more free to pray and worship.