Lent @ Heritage 2026

Dear Members and Friends of Heritage United Methodist Church,

If you were here for last night’s Ash Wednesday service, you heard the traditional liturgy that opens the service:

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

the early Christians observed with great devotion

the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection,

and it became the custom of the Church that before the Easter celebration

there should be a forty–day season of spiritual preparation.

During this season converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism.

It was also a time when persons who had committed serious sins

and had separated themselves from the community of faith

were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness,

and restored to participation in the life of the Church.

In this way the whole congregation was reminded

of the mercy and forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ

and the need we all have to renew our faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church,

to observe a holy Lent:

by self–examination and repentance;

by prayer, fasting, and self–denial;

and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.

To make a right beginning of repentance,

and as a mark of our mortal nature,

and bow before our Creator and Redeemer.

I write to you today, on this first day of Lent, to reiterate that invitation–to observe a holy Lent by self–examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self–denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word.

First, if you missed the service and did not get to hear Rev. Janean Briseno’s brief sermon last night, go back and listen.  It was a great word of welcome into the season.  She shared ancient yet timeless wisdom from the early days of the church that still reveals the core motivations that lead us astray into temptation and sin today.  Then she gave several practical opportunities that allow us to make Lent a time of true repentance, reconciliation, and hope for the future.  

Second, the Florida Conference Office of the United Methodist Church provides quick devotionals each day.  While they aren’t a replacement for putting aside some time for your own reading and reflections on Scripture, they are available for those days when you are on the go and missed the opportunity. 

Maybe you’ll give something up as a Lenten fast, or start a new discipline that could take root in Lent and continue beyond, but I offer these two opportunities to ensure that we embrace the importance of this 40-day season at Heritage.  Repentance over our sin is the starting place from which we reach the new heights of peace and joy that transform our lives, and transform the world!

Sincerely,

Pastor Matt