Lent, Holy Week, & Easter

Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 18th) and ends on Holy Saturday (April 4th). The English word “Lent” comes from the Anglo–Saxon word lencten, which means “lengthen” and refers to the lengthening days of “spring.” The season is a preparation for celebrating Easter.

Historically, Lent began as a period of fasting and preparation for baptism by converts and then became a time for penance by all Christians. The First Sunday describes Jesus’ temptation by Satan; and the Sixth Sunday (Passion/Palm Sunday), Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and his subsequent passion and death. Because Sundays are always little Easters, the penitential spirit of Lent should be tempered with joyful expectation of the Resurrection.

Holy Week is the final week of Lent, beginning with Passion/Palm Sunday (March 29th) and concluding with Holy Saturday (April 4th). The Great Three Days—sometimes called the Triduum or Pasch—from sunset Holy Thursday (April 2nd) through sunset Easter Day (April 5th) are the climax of Lent (and of the whole Christian year) and a bridge into the Easter Season. These days proclaim the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. During these days, the community journeys with Jesus from the upper room, to the cross, to the tomb, and to the garden.

Source: ResourceUMC.org

  • Order Your Easter Lilies:

    Through Sunday, March 29th

    The Worship Committee invites you to remember or honor a loved one with a lily on Easter. The lilies will be used to adorn the Sanctuary and Hinton Hall on Easter Sunday, April 5th. The cost per plant is $20. You may pick up your lily/lilies following the Easter morning service you attend. Printed copies of the Easter Lily Remembrance/Honor listings will be available at the Contemporary Worship and Traditional Worship services on Easter morning.

     

    All proceeds go to Seeds of Hope, whose funds are used to help meet the needs of God’s people living in Duluth and Suwanee--often strangers, widows, orphans, homeless, those who are lost, and those who are without hope--who come to Duluth First United Methodist Church seeking assistance. In 2025 the number of assistance requests through Seeds of Hope was much higher than in past years. If you would like to contribute extra above/beyond the cost of your lily/lilies, we thank you for your additional support of Seeds of Hope.

     

    You can place your order for lilies online with a credit/debit card payments. To order online please click on EASTER LILY ONLINE ORDER. NOTE: Please do not use any of the church’s other online giving forms to place your Easter lily order.

     

    If you wish to pay by check or cash, order forms will be available:

    • At the Welcome/Information Centers;
    • Online for download by clicking on EASTER LILY;
    • Available in the Sunday Orders of Worship for all services on March 15th, 22nd, and 29th.

    Please place your form/forms, along with a check made payable to Duluth First United Methodist Church and marked Easter Lilies in the memo section, in the Church Staff Drop Box located in the Atrium. NOTE: All orders must be received by Sunday, March 29th, at 5:00 p.m.

  • Lenten Devotional Videos

    from our Youth Ministry students

    Hello!

     

    The season of Lent is underway, and we are excited to kick off our Lenten Devotional Series as we explore what it means to draw near to God. 

     

    Every Wednesday during Lent, we will post a short devotional video by one of our students on our Youth Ministry's YouTube channel. We would love for you to journey with us by watching and sharing these videos with others! Also, please hit the subscribe button to get notifications whenever we post new content on our YouTube channel. 

     

    We hope you enjoy the videos, and thank you for journeying with us during this Lenten season!

     

    Have a blessed day!


    March 25, 2026 (week #5): Ansley Philips

    March 18, 2026 (week #4): Sarah Johnson

    Please Note: There was no video for week #3.

    March 4, 2026 (week #2): Caleb Ballantine

    February 25, 2026 (week #1): Chase Parrish

  • 2026 Lenten Calendar Available

    Please look for our 2026 Lenten calendar, 40 Days of Lent in the Name of Jesus, in the worship handouts on Sunday, February 15th. The Lenten calendar is also available for download by clicking on LENT 2026. The Lenten calendar is provided to you by the volunteer librarians of The Louise McDaniel Memorial Library.

  • “Taste and See” Lenten Study:

    Begins Sunday, February 22nd

    Everyone is invited to participate in Lenten study, based on the book Taste and See by Margaret Feinberg, beginning Sunday, February 22nd. The study, led by Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles, will meet on Sundays, February 22nd through March 29th, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in room F145, located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

    Taste and See will be a different type of Lenten study – it will be one about feasting and “discovering God among butchers, bakers, and fresh food makers.” We will discuss where we can find God and that we are all invited to “Taste and See” that God is good. We will also sample some of the dishes that the author discusses!


    The cost of the class is $20 is per person to cover the cost of the book and food samples. Childcare will be available by request. To register and for more information, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128

  • Good Friday Service: April 3rd

    Make plans to join us for a Good Friday service on Friday, April 3rd, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Our Good Friday service will include a Passion narrative with musical reflections. It will be a contemplative service offering an opportunity for deep and personal prayer. 

    It is a wonderful service to bring a neighbor or a friend. Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner during the worship service. The service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

  • Celebrating Easter at Duluth First UMC: Sunday, April 5th

    Sunrise Service with Communion: 7:00 a.m. in front of the church
    Join us Easter morning at 7:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance to the Sanctuary for our Easter Sunrise Service with Communion. This service includes singing, prayers, devotion, and Holy Communion. The 7:00 a.m. Sunrise service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

    PLEASE NOTE: We will not be holding our 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship service on Easter morning. Please make plans to join us at the 7:00 Sunrise Service and/or at either of the 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship or Traditional Worship services.


    Easter Morning Fellowship: 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall
    Join us on Easter morning for a time of fellowship from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. All ages are welcome! Pastries and coffee will be available.


    Contemporary Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in Hinton Hall
    The worship band, technical team, prayer team and pastor will be energized and ready to join with you in the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship service in Hinton Hall, located in the Sheldon Family Life Center, will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Contemporary Worship page on Facebook.

    Traditional Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
    At the Traditional Worship service in the Sanctuary, the music will be as glorious as the day deserves with the choir lifting praises to God, ending with our annual Easter acclamation, Handel’s Hallelujah! The 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

    PLEASE NOTE:  Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner for all worship services, and during the 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday School hour.

  • Bring Flowers for Easter Morning: April 5th

    The Worship Committee invites you to bring fresh flowers from your home to adorn the resurrection crosses that will be located outside of the Sanctuary and inside Hinton Hall on Easter morning, April 5th.

  • Share Your Easter Morning Family and Friends Photos with Us!

    One of the Easter morning traditions at Duluth First UMC is when family and friends have their pictures taken in front of the resurrection crosses outside of the Sanctuary and in Hinton Hall to remember the joy of the day. We would like you to share your best picture with us, and they will be posted at a later date as a photo album on the church’s Facebook and Instagram social media pages.


    Please select your best/favorite family and friends picture from the morning  and please email it (just one picture please) to Ken Willi, Director of Communications, by e-mail at kwilli@duluthumc.org. Please put EASTER PICTURE in the subject line of your e-mail and include your family’s name or the names of the friends in your group. Please submit your Easter picture no later than Friday, April 17th.