Lent
Lent is a season of forty days, not including Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at Easter vigil. Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter. Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. Because Sundays are always "little Easters," the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the resurrection.
The Great Three Days, or Pasch, from Holy Thursday through Holy Saturday are the climax of Lent and the whole Christian year, and serve as a bridge into the Easter season. These days proclaim the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. During these days, the community journeys with Jesus to the cross. They should be seen as a great unified service beginning with a service of Holy Communion on Holy Thursday and concluding with a vigil welcoming Easter morning. Somber colors such as purple or ash gray are used for paraments, stoles, and banners. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday the church may be stripped bare of any visuals.
Some Lenten worship services and activities at Reveille Church include:
- Ash Wednesday -- This service on the first day of Lent includes the traditional imposition of ashes, as a sign of our own mortality and our confession sin before God within the community of faith.
- Lenten devotionals -- Special daily devotional readings, based on scriptures from the lectionary and written by members of the church, are provided for personal discipline during Lent.
- Holy Week
- Palm Sunday -- Though celebrated during the normal Sunday morning worship, this is a special day of singing and celebration of loyalty to Jesus, embodying the sharp contrasts of Holy Week.
- Holy Thursday -- On this night, Christians commemorate the supper Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion, when Jesus washed the disciples' feet and instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion. The ancient practice of stripping the table and sanctuary following communion demonstates the desolation and abandonment Jesus experienced.
- Good Friday Service of the Shadows -- This traditional tenebrae service is an extended meditation on the passion of Christ.
Easter
The Easter season, also known as the Great Fifty Days, begins at sunset at Easter Eve and continues through Pentecost. It is the most joyous and celebrative season of the Christian year. It focuses on Jesus' resurrection and ascension and the gift of the Holy Spirit on the first Easter. The seasonal colors are white and gold and there is also a large, free-standing white candle called the Paschal candle, used throughout the season and at baptisms and funerals during the rest of the year.
Pentecost
Pentecost comes from the Greek pentekoste, which means "fiftieth." At Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit after Jesus' ascension, thus inaugurating the mission of the Church. Readings are often from the book of Acts, since the early Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is the best witness to the resurrection. Bright red is the color for this season. The Day of Pentecost ends the Easter cycle.