Aurora church celebrates Lent with ashes, book study

Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora will celebrate Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, with community ashes and a book study.

The Rev. Tammy Scott, lead pastor, invites the community to receive ashes with a guided reflection from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, in the church sanctuary, 14 N. May St.

At 7 p.m. Feb. 14, the Rev. Jeffry Bross will preach at a community worship at Batavia UMC, 8 N. Batavia Ave. Rev. Bross is Prairie Central District superintendent, United Methodist Church Northern Illinois Conference. Effective July 1, he will become the pastor at Libertyville United Methodist Church.

The public is invited to both events.

Also to make Lent more meaningful, Rev. Scott said she will host a book study on Amy-Jill Levine's “The Gospel of Mark.” The study will meet at the church at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays, Feb. 20 to April 2. A Zoom version will be held at 7 p.m. Thursdays, Feb. 15 to March 21. The book is available at the church office for $15.

According to Rev. Scott, Lent is a season of 40 days, excluding Sundays, from Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, to holy Saturday, March 30. She said, “Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for Easter March 31. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. Lent is a journey, not a destination.”

She added that Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten meaning spring. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism.

The public is invited to Sunday worship services at 10:30 a.m. in person or online at 9:30 a.m. at wesleyumcaurora.online.church/.

Call (630) 896-1033 or visit wesleyumcaurora.org for more information.