Dingmans Ferry United Methodist Church

LENTEN ALTAR TAPESTRY

March/April, 2017

During the season of Lent, a Lenten Altar Tapestry has been affixed to the wall to the left of the altar pulpit.  Although not a tapestry in the literal sense, the wall hanging represents the thoughts, meditations, and prayers that are ‘woven’ seamlessly into the hearts and spirits of those who are open to Christ’s presence during the forty days of Lent.

The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday and conclude on Holy Saturday, and exclude the intervening Sundays.  The term ‘Lent’ originates from the Anglo Saxon word,lencten, which means ‘spring.’  The forty-day period represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptations of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry.

In the tradition of the United Methodist Church, Lent is a time of fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter.  It is, furthermore, a time of self-examination and reflection, whereby Christians focus on their relationship with Christ and a determined will to renew their devotion and fidelity to that relationship.

Reflection and Renewal are, therefore, the two over-riding themes of the Lenten Altar Tapestry:

As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person . . . Let us carefully watch our own hearts, comparing them with the word of God.   Proverbs 27:19,23

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.   Romans 12:2

These themes represent guideposts for the Spiritual Life Journey that we are encouraged to take during the Lenten season.

Twelve Lenten placards have been mounted on the tapestry frame, each placard symbolic of a way for a Christian to approach the season of Lent, be it physically, mentally, or spiritually.  The twelve placards are reminders that the twelve disciples of Christ, in the weeks, days, and hours prior to His crucifixion, were all fraught with thoughts, anxieties, and concerns about their relationship with Jesus.  Some two millennia later, the season of Lent represents a time for us to reflect on our personal relationship with Jesus, and seek ways to be more spiritually attuned to His presence in our lives.

The placards have been mounted on a backing of sackcloth, suggestive of the humility with which we are invited to reflect on our spiritual life during the forty days of Lent.  The palms flanking the tapestry further accentuate the humility theme by reminding us of Jesus’s fabled ride into Jerusalem astride the back of a donkey.

The Lenten Altar Tapestry will remain in the altar area until Easter Sunday.  During this time, you are invited to stand or sit quietly in its presence and seek guidance and inspirations from its timeless words and images.

May God bless you during your Lenten ‘Journey-of-Faith.’