Lenten Services and Programs

Ash Wednesday Worship

Wednesday, March 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Chapel

Ash Wednesday service marks the beginning of Lent, offering a time to begin our Lenten walk together in community. We know the end of the Lenten story involves the death of Jesus. In human form, Jesus faces mortality. However, on Easter Sunday, Jesus is the picture of new life. Ash Wednesday is a reminder of our mortality. Thinking and speaking of our own mortality can be difficult, although mortality is not a surprise and cannot be avoided. Providing the space to think of one’s mortality, allows one to recognize they are not alone. God promises to be with you in life and death. Ashes today, could be new life tomorrow.

During the service we celebrate Communion and offer Imposition of Ashes.

Lenten Preaching Series

A Cross Torn Open to a Broken World

A Cross Torn Open: to a Broken World was inspired by the East Window at St. Martin in-the-fields Church in Trafalgar Square in London. The window, designed by Shirazeh Houshiary in collaboration with her husband, architect Pip Horne, adds light to the Grade I listed church and is one of the most significant pieces of religious art commissioned in modern times.

We are captivated by the appearance of a cross being torn open. We believe it allows the church to better see the world and, in turn, allows easier access to the church from outside. The Lenten series will walk through seeing both the church and the world through different views.

Houshiary and Horne say, “The transparent/translucent glass allows the world outside to enter inside…It suggests the outside world is part of the sacred and that the mundane and the sacred belong together. This idea of inclusivity as against exclusivity is an important part of the ethos of St Martin’s.”

We hope you will join us during Lent for Sunday Worship, Vesper services, and other special programming as we delve deeper into how the torn cross offers new insight into the church and the world.

March 9 — Introduction to A Cross Torn Open: to a Broken World (John 14:25-31)
March 16 — Enter Jesus (Matthew 4:23-25)
March 23 — Empowered by Jesus (Matthew 5:13-16, 38-43)
March 30 — Jesus in Community (John 4:3-15)
April 6 — Jesus Reconstructs the Church (Mark 11:15-18)
April 13 — Palm Sunday: Jesus vs. Power (Luke 19:28-40)
April 20 — Easter: New Jesus/New Life

Devotionals

Into the Deep: Lenten Devotional

Published by the United Church of Christ, and written by the “Still Speaking” writers group, this daily devotional for the season of Lent invites reflection on God’s mysterious depth. As Mary Luti writes in the introduction, “God inhabits the depths of life, love, loss, ecstasy, and pain. God dwells in the profundities of prayer, in sighs too deep for words. God loves the deep.” This Lent, what courage, what faith, what reckoning, what wonder might find us as we go deep into God’s depths?

Copies will be available at the Lathrop entrance and on the table in the back of the Sanctuary.

Transformation! A Community Art Project

Amity Flogel, Linda Hancock, and Jeff Rabe teamed up to lead this Lenten art project. Nearly 30 yards of canvas are waiting for your inspiration. All ages and skill levels are invited to leave their mark through free-form and abstract painting. Individuals and groups are welcome! Transformation painting will be in the Dining Room. Learn more.

The project kicks off Sunday, March 9, and runs through Wednesday, April 2. Public painting hours during Lent:

Sundays: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Dining Room
Tuesdays: 6 – 8 p.m. | Dining Room
Wednesdays: 6 – 8 p.m. | Dining Room (Quiet Paint)

Lenten Theme Discussions

Session 1: Sunday, March 16 | 8:30 ‒ 9:30 a.m. | Hearth Room

How have you witnessed or experienced the CHURCH being broken or torn? What is the result personally or communally of that for you? Was there any insight you gained from one or more of the articles?

Sessions 2: Sunday, April 6 | 8:30 ‒ 9:30 a.m. | Hearth Room

How have you witnessed or experienced the WORLD being broken or torn? What is the result personally or communally of that for you? Was there any insight you gained from one or more of the articles?

Mid-Week Vesper Services

“Broken Open” – Was there a time when you found yourself “broken open” to a deeper understanding of loving yourself, others, and/or the world? What did you discover and how did it change you?

Join us for these mid-week worship services to reflect on our Lenten theme. The service is an intimate time of prayer, reflection, music, and silence. The services will be in-person with the exception of March 27 which will be pre-recorded and available on the Church YouTube and Facebook page.

Thursday, March 27 | 7:00 p.m. | YouTube (Pre-recorded)

Dan grew up in Amery, Wisconsin, where his family belonged to the Amery Congregational Church (UCC). Dan and his wife, Margaret, moved to Madison in 1985 for Dan to attend graduate school at UW-Madison in an academic program on energy analysis and policy. Upon completing his studies (receiving both an MS and PhD), he spent his career working for both state and national non-profit organizations to advance policies and programs for energy efficiency and conservation. He retired in 2024.

Dan joined First Congregational UCC in 1996. He served on the Education, Outreach, and Property Boards and taught Sunday School when his two children were in elementary school. Dan is an avid traveler and greatly enjoys camping, canoeing, kayaking, and x-country skiing. Watch on YouTube.

Thursday, April 2 | 7:00 p.m. | Chapel

Jessica Flowers has taught over 1000 yoga classes in the Madison area since she began teaching yoga six years ago in our Chapel. She has always had a deep desire to make yoga accessible and, last year, started teaching group classes through Yoga Accessible For All (YAFA) and doing 1:1 yoga sessions through YogAutism. The autism myth-busting shared during YogAutism training was a “breaking open” that led Jessica on an exploration of her own neurodivergence. She absolutely loves working and connecting with individuals who are often misunderstood in a neurotypical dominant world. To join Jessica for yoga, you can find her current class schedule at smelltheflowersyoga.com.

Chapel Art Exhibit

Madison artist Scott Wilson will share his multi-media art with us during our Lenten season. His photographs, assemblages, and wood constructions encourage spiritual reflection. In his work, Spring signs-of-life and the diversity in wood grain are reminders of the changing, constantly renewed, and sometimes chaotic, creation in which we live. This eclectic collection of pieces reflects his fascination with all kinds of items that make a comment about something unique or significant.

Don’t miss the opportunity to witness his art.

Chapel Labyrinth

Sundays: March 2 and April 6 | 9 a.m. – noon
Tuesday: March 18 | 5 – 8 p.m.

You are invited to utilize the Chapel Labyrinth as a tool for spiritual practice during the upcoming Lenten season! Beginning Sunday, March 2, you will find photos, questions for reflection, and drawing and writing resources on the table in the Chapel as a way to enhance your walking meditation time and deepen the meaning of the season.

All are welcome!