40 days. A sojourn in the desert. Testing. Trial. Reflection. Repentance.

What does Lent mean to you?

Schedule of Activities

February 17: Ash Wednesday Drive-Thru Service

February 18: Lenten Virtual Book Study begins

February 24: Lenten In-Person Book Study begins

April 1: Maundy Thursday, Chapel open for reflection, prayer, and communion, 10am-7:00pm

April 2: Good Friday Service in Morgan Hall, 6:30pm

April 3: Lenten-Themed Art Exhibit in the Family Life Center, 10:00am-2:00pm

April 4: Virtual Easter Sunrise Service, 6:30am (live) or on demand throughout the day

April 4: Easter Services at FBC, 9:30am and 11:00am

Lenten Bible Study

Journey through Lent and explore everyday objects Jesus encountered on his way to Jerusalem. Together with facilitator Sarah Murray and a small group of friends, you will be reminded that God speaks through the ordinary and the mundane.  

For the study, we will use the book by Jill J. Duffield called Lent in Plain Sight.

Two meeting options will be available. Please fill out the form below to register for one.

Wednesdays, 10 AM, in person beginning February 24*, OR

Thursdays, 10 AM, via Zoom beginning February 18

* provided local health needs improve

Would you like to know more about the Lenten devotional Taste and See: Moments in God’s Word Alone, by Ellee Hilley and its Companion Guide? Follow the link below.

February 17, 2021

FBC Griffin held a drive-thru service for Ash Wednesday this year. The Griffin Daily News featured it on their Saturday cover!

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

― Philippians 3:7-11 (NIV)

One night can change everything.

Maundy Thursday refers to the remembrance of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, where he broke bread and washed the disciples’ feet as a demonstration of how they should live in the world. On Maundy Thursday, Bramblett Chapel will open for self-guided service of communion and reflection. Do you want to be back in the familiar space of our building but aren’t quite ready for a large group gathering? Do you want a simple time of reflection and prayer? This service may be designed just for you. The chapel will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

 

Good Friday Service

April 2, 2021

More details to come.

“All the great groups that stood about the Cross represent in one way or another the great historical truth of the time; that the world could not save itself. Man could do no more. Rome and Jerusalem and Athens and everything else were going down like a sea turned into a slow cataract. Externally indeed the ancient world was still at its strongest; it is always at that moment that the inmost weakness begins. But in order to understand that weakness we must repeat what has been said more than once; that it was not the weakness of a thing originally weak. It was emphatically the strength of the world that was turned to weakness and the wisdom of the world that was turned to folly.
     In this story of Good Friday it is the best things in the world that are at their worst. That is what really shows us the world at its worst.”  — G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man 

Reflections on Lent from Our Ministers

From Steven Norris

Lent is one of the most powerful seasons of the Christian year. It is my yearly reminder that conversion to the way of Christ is not a one time decision, but a lifetime of taking up my cross, dying to self, and coming alive to the Spirit of God working within me. The practices of Lent (fasting, prayer, and giving alms) give me time to lay to down the extra and often unnecessary things that typically fill my calendar so that I can focus on what is essential to a life discipleship. The intentional focus on silence and stillness give me space to hear with better clarity the voice of God’s Spirit beckoning me, “Come and follow.”

From Erin Clarke

Most of our lives are spent waiting for something: a phone call, acceptance letter, test results, or just for the pot to boil. We try to avoid waiting with Amazon Prime, online streaming, and our Instapots, but waiting exists nonetheless. Lent, for me, is a spiritual exercise in waiting– waiting that is not always pleasant. Lent gives me permission to press pause at an uncomfortable spot in the plot where things are not neat and tidy.  Lent slows me down and invites me to sit with Christ in the dissonance, taking in the conflicting emotions that come before “It is finished.”

From Sarah Murray

I didn’t grow up practicing the church year, and my first real experiences of Lent came during seminary. I value these days because of the space they create for questions, lament, and deep reflection. There’s set aside time during Lent for many of the “dark” feelings we often do everything we can to avoid, individually and culturally. I don’t always give something up, but my practices this year are calling me to be more present in my body throughout the day, sensing the Spirit speaking in the tangible and mundane.

From Seth Brown

So, I was sitting in a staff meeting at my first church, and someone mentioned preparing for Lent. Of course, I nodded in agreement with everything said, to appear to have prior knowledge of this “lent.” I rushed back to my office to figure out what everyone else already knew in the room. I laugh now, having worked my entire career within churches that observe this season.

You might be like me, having not grown up with this tradition in your life. For me, it has become one of my favorite liturgical seasons. In my first few years, I traditionally tried to give up something for this season. However, in the last few years, I have started a practice during this season of adding something to my life. I have added reading through a specific Gospel each week, or praying for 5 minutes every hour, or practicing a time of silent reflection each morning. This spiritual practice has helped me feel connected to the Gospel and this journey with Christ. I encourage you to find what allows you to create space for Christ during this season of Lent.

From Ellee Hilley

The liturgical church year is divided into the cycle of light and the cycle of life. The cycle of light is made up of the times of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany; the cycle of life begins in lent, continues with Easter, and follows with Pentecost. Interestingly, both cycles follow the same pattern: expectation, fulfillment, and proclamation. Within these rhythms, we find that we mark our spirituality by allowing God’s saving actions to enter in us and transform us. In advent, we enter into the faith of the incarnation. We celebrate the light of the world coming into the world shortly after the winter solstice – marking the longest night.  Now that we are in lent, we are led in faith to the very heart of the Christian year: Jesus’s death and resurrection. Six weeks of lent is a powerful time of expectation; yet, we find that the days begin to length, the sun does not set quite as early, and the temperatures start to warm. As we prepare for Jesus’s death and resurrection, allow lent to progress at the speed in which it was designed. The story of Jesus’s death and resurrection need not be rushed. Instead, in lent we journey into a transformation that happens within us as we journey into death that leads to life.

How do you and your family observe Lent?

Do you have special practices that you would be willing to share with us? Drop us an email and let us know.