Oakmont Presbyterian Church

Lent at Oakmont Presbyterian Church

"Lent enables us to face ourselves, to see the weak places, to touch the wounds in our own soul, and to determine to try once more to live beyond our lowest aspirations."  Joan Chittister

Ash Wednesday Worship, March 9, (7:30 p.m.), no supper served

Wednesday Suppers (6:30 p.m.) and Worship Services (7:00 p.m.)

March 16    Vegetable Soup, Prayer of Examen

March 23    Pasta Fagioli Soup, ACTS Prayers

March 30    Ham & Bean Soup, Compline Prayer

April 6 Asiago Bisque Soup, Taize Prayer

April 13       Chili, Prayers for Wholeness and Healing

Mid-day Prayer, Monday-Friday, (Noon – 12:20 p.m.), OPC Sanctuary

Holy Week Worship: worship only, no suppers served

Maundy Thursday, April 21 (7:30 p.m.) and

Good Friday, April 22,

Oakmont Methodist Church (Noon) and OPC Sanctuary (8:00 p.m.)

HOLY WEEK  

Palm Sunday (8:15 & 11:00 am) – begins Holy Week remembering the triumphant entrance of Jesus intro Jerusalem. The church’s celebration of Palm Sunday dates from the late fourth century, and it originated in the Jerusalem church with a great afternoon procession from the Mount of Olives into the city. Children took part in the parade, and everyone carried palm branches. Modern Palm Sunday worship ends pointing like an arrow to the crucifixion.

Maundy Thursday (7:30 pm) – The name Maundy is applied to this day from the Latin word for “commandment” (from which we also get our word “mandate”). It refers to the commandment given by Jesus at the Last Supper that his disciples should love one another (John 13:31-35). The service rehearses the events leading up to the crucifixion. It has a complex history, but the essentials are clear in the scriptural accounts and point to the meaning of God’s redemptive act in Jesus Christ. Communion is served by intinction and the sanctuary is “stripped” of all decorations and colors in anticipation of Good Friday.

Good Friday (8:00 pm) - Why is this day called “good”? The term emphasizes that God takes what is utterly evil and claims it for good purposes. The crucifixion of Jesus was not a good thing, not by any stretch of the imagination, but God wrestled with this monstrous evil committed by humans and won a victory out of it. The very death of Christ became the salvation of humankind. By death, Jesus conquered death itself for all of us. This year’s service will offer the perspectives of people who likely witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion.

Easter

Community Sunrise Worship at Oakmont Country Club, 7 a.m. (East Porch)

Early Easter Worship at Oakmont Presbyterian Church, 8:15 a.m.

Late Easter Worship at Oakmont Presbyterian Church, 11:00 a.m.

(There will be no Church School on Easter)

Easter is the day that Christians gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The celebration of Easter is related to the Jewish Passover and its date is determined by a lunar calendar as is that of Passover. For Western Christians Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon on or after March 21 and can fall anytime from March 22 to April 25. Easter began as an observance of the death and resurrection of Christ. By the fourth century, however, Good Friday became the observance of the crucifixion, and Easter was left to emphasize the resurrection. Easter Day begins a season of fifty days (sometimes called “The Great Fifty Days”) running from Easter Day to Pentecost. This seven-week period was observed early in the church’s history, giving an opportunity to explore the depth of meaning in the resurrection event. Easter is the great validation of Jesus Christ and, for this reason, it is the longest season of the Christian year.

Perhaps you'll attend end of day prayers on Sunday evenings with the Pittsburgh Compline Choir (above), or join us for the Lenten Suppers (below).

Daily Devotions

During the upcoming season of Lent you are invited to begin praying through the Psalms as part of your daily spiritual discipline preparing for Easter.  To that end our congregation’s Lenten Devotional booklet this year offers a psalm, meditation, and prayer each day for you to spend time with individually or with others. These same psalms were very much in Jesus’ heart and upon his lips as he made his way to Jerusalem in the weeks before his crucifixion, death and resurrection.  I invite you to enter into that same journey with him as you take time during Lent to consider God’s call upon your life, and how you have, and will, answer him.