North Street this Weekend

There are a number of times we'll be gathered together this weekend.  Come and join us:

Saturday (2/28)
Men's "Sponsored" Breakfast Fellowship - The last Saturday of every month is men's breakfast fellowship, but this month everyone's invited.  The men will cook and serve so come out for
 breakfast at 8:30 AM.

Work Day - After breakfast, we'll continue working on some projects throughout the church building.  We'll likely get lunch together, so bring a couple of bucks for pizza or whatever else we decide on together.

Sunday (3/1)
Gathering to Worship - This Sunday is the first Sunday in Lent.  Throughout Lent, we'll be hearing about the "story of
 God" and how we are hardly just observers in the story, but active participants.  On this first Sunday in Lent, we'll look at our Old Testament and Gospel passages, the stories within (God's covenant with Noah and Jesus' time in the wilderness).

In addition, come prepared to think about how you can use this season of Lent to draw nearer to God and to one another.

The Remembrance - Throughout the Sundays in Lent, we will again come together during the evening for the Remembrance, a reflective gathering of worship gathered around the table of Christ.  We "officially" begin at 6:14 PM, but feel free to come by 6:00 to prepare for worship.

We hope to see you sometime this weekend!

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  Lent is a 40 day period, excluding Sundays, during which Christians prepare themselves spiritually for the commemoration of Christ's suffering, death and resurrection. Beginning in the second century, Christians would undergo a brief period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Good Friday and Easter. By the fourth century the period had been extended to 40 days to coincide with the 40 days that Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry (which coincided with the 40 days Moses and Elijah fasted in the Old Testament).  

The season was originally called "the forty days" but later came to be called Lent - from the Old English, lengten, a reference to the lengthening of the days that happens in the springtime.

Lent is probably best known today as the period during which people fast "from something," like chocolate, Coke, or even the usage of Facebook.  Lenten fasting has a history: It was common to fast from meat and dairy products during Lent, so on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday communities would cook all of their meat and dairy products, making pancakes and other elaborate meals - these parties became known as "carnivals" from the Latin carni vale - which means "farewell to meat." This also became known as mardi gras which comes from the French for "fat Tuesday" - an appropriate name because on that day everyone "pigged out".

Lent was the season when Christian converts made their final preparation for receiving their baptism and first communion at the Easter vigil. It was also a time of repentance for those who had abandoned the faith during the persecutions. The season is a time for more intense and intentional spiritual growth during which we remember the message, the life, the suffering and death of Christ.

We at North Street have observed the 40 Days of Lent in various ways over the past couple of years.  At the Ash Wednesday Gathering this evening, I will hand out our 40 Days of Lent individual and community practices pamphlet.  

As usual on Wednesdays, we'll share our community meal at 6:00 PM and then move to the sanctuary for worship at 7:00 PM.  I hope to see you tonight!

For & Through Christ,
Pastor Jeremy

(Thanks to Rev. Adam Hamilton for help with some of the history of Lent.)

North Street Currents: First Annual North Street Community Retreat

The North Street Community is retreating to Windsor Hills Campgrounds just outside Hillsboro, NH this weekend.  There will be no gathering of worship in Hingham.  If you are signed up for the retreat and need directions, click here, and follow the signs to "the Inn" once you get to the camp entrance.  If you want to come up for our time of worship on Sunday morning, we'll worship at 10:00 AM in the chapel part of the Inn.

This weekend, even though we're "on retreat," we'll continue in our series: Holistic Stewardship: Doing Well With All That's in Our Care.  This week, as we're all together in community on retreat, we'll hear about how we need to take care of each other, the Body of Christ, the saints.  

And then next week, Sunday, February 22, we'll gather back as normal in Hingham for the last week of the series. Dr. Dick Fish will be sharing a testimonial-sermon on taking care of our finances & resources.  In addition, everyone is invited and challenged to come back on Wednesday, March 4th (after Bible Study, so around 8:00 PM) for a Community Seminar on Personal Finance, led by Dick Fish.  We will meet together for at least a couple of weeks.  Dr. Fish has led personal finance classes and seminars dozens of times, challenging people to live under their means from the perspective of a follower of Christ, to be able to bless others around them.  I am excited about this opportunity and I invite everyone, regardless of age, family, or financial status to come!

Lastly, as time moves quickly towards Lent, please plan now to come to worship on Wednesday evening, February 25th for our Ash Wednesday Gathering at 7:00 PM to kick off and begin the Lenten Season.  

In Christ,
Pastor Jeremy