Lent offers time for quiet reflection

The Rev. Beth Giller is pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary. Please get a portrait photo of her. THE BLADE/LISA DUTTON Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Lent is the Rev. Scott Kaufman’s favorite time of year. The 40-day season that leads to Easter, beginning Wednesday with Ash Wednesday, offers the faithful a refreshing time of reflection and prayer, according to the pastor of Faith Community United Church of Christ in Maumee.

And the imposition of ashes on the faithful’s foreheads “reminds us where we come from and where we are going, ultimately,” Mr. Kaufman said.

“I like Lent for giving us 40 days of quiet time to reflect on your life and how faith plays in your life.”

Faith Community UCC will hold an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. at the church, 1126 Anderson Ave.

St. Mark Lutheran Church, 611 Woodville Rd., will feature a series of Lenten dramas at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. each Wednesday during Lent.

Individual men in the congregation will deliver the Lenten monologues in costume each week, starting with “The Voice of Satan” and continuing with such biblical figures as Judas, Caiaphas, Peter, and Herod.

“It’s a unique way to look at the history of the time. It’s not just a religious event but a historical event as well with the Roman and Jewish influences and how they all conflated,” said the Rev. Beth Giller, pastor.

She added that people respond “very positively” to dramatized sermons.

The world’s 250 million Eastern Orthodox Christians, meanwhile, use a different formula for determining the date of Easter and will observe Great Lent on Feb. 27. They will celebrate Pascha, or Easter, on April 15, a week after the rest of the world’s Christians observe the resurrection of Jesus on April 8.

Here are some of the many area events scheduled for Ash Wednesday and Lent:

Clark Street United Methodist Church, 1133 Clark St., Toledo, Ash Wednesday potluck at 6 p.m.; service and Bible study at 7 p.m. 419-691-3115.

Concordia Lutheran Church, 3636 S. Detroit Ave., Ash Wednesday service 7:15 p.m.; Lenten soup and salad potluck 6:15 p.m., worship 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays, 419-382-0410.

Emmaus Community of Good Shepherd and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic churches participate in “Living the Eucharist,” Lenten spiritual renewal program. Information: 419-698-1519.

Epworth United Methodist Church, 3077 Valleyview Dr., Ash Wednesday service 7:30 p.m. The Rev. Robert Thomas will preach on “Repent and Believe.” 419-531-4236.

Good Shepherd Church of the Deaf Lutheran Church, 5859 Elmer Dr., Lenten salad and soup suppers at 6 p.m., worship services at 7 p.m. Wednesdays. 419-536-3770.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 428 N. Erie St., noon and 7 p.m. Ash Wednesday; Lenten soup suppers 5:45 p.m. and evening prayer 7 p.m. Wednesdays.419-243-4214.

Zion Lutheran Church LCMC, 8307 Memorial Hwy., Ottawa Lake, Mich., 7 p.m.; Lenten services 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

Zoar Lutheran Church, 314 E. Indiana Ave., Perrysburg, 7 and 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. (Ash Wednesday); then 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesdays during Lent, with lunch at noon and supper at 5:30 p.m. 419-874-4346.

— David Yonke