Get ready to rise and shine on Easter Sunday at Pender UMC’s Gathering Place for a spectacular Sunrise Breakfast!
Join us on April 20, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:30 AM for a delightful morning filled with the aromas and flavors of a heartwarming breakfast.
Our menu features a tempting array of bagels with cream cheese, savory breakfast casseroles, golden French toast, sizzling sausage, and fresh fruit, complemented by freshly brewed coffee and tea.
It’s the perfect way to start your Easter with fellowship and good cheer. Don’t miss out—make sure to sign up for this festive breakfast gathering!
“Go to Dark Gethsemane” is a Lenten hymn that spotlights scenes from the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ’s life.
It takes us on a journey from the Garden of Gethsemane where we are charged to stand and watch, to the judgment hall and our denial of him, to the cross where we witness his death and his grace, and finally to his glorious resurrection and our redemption. We become part of the drama of Christ’s passion and resurrection.
The poet repeats the phrase “learn of” at the end of each stanza, charging us to apply each scene to our lives. James Montgomery uses repetition to draw attention to what he considers important about each scene and each stanza.
“Learn of Jesus Christ to pray” encourages us to remember the scene of the garden and to go to God in fervent prayer. “Learn of Christ to bear the cross” is a charge to lay down our lives, take up the cross and follow Christ. “Learn of Jesus Christ to die” is a reminder of what Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Montgomery, considered one of the most important hymn writers of the English language, wrote this beautiful hymn in 1820. He was born on Nov. 4, 1771, in Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland, the son of Moravian missionary John Montgomery, and died April 30, 1854, in Sheffield, England.
When Montgomery was 5 years old, his parents moved him to a Moravian settlement at Bracehill, Ireland, near Ballymena in Antrim County. Soon after, his parents accepted a call to the mission field and left him behind in Bracehill. He never saw his parents again. They both died while in the Barbados Islands.
At age 7, Montgomery was enrolled at Fulneck Seminary in Yorkshire, where he would remain for the next nine years. Struggling to meet the expectations of his instructors, he left the school at age 16 and became an apprentice at a chandler’s shop in Mirfield.
After five years, he tired of the work and took an apprenticeship with Joseph Gales, the owner and publisher of the Sheffield Register. For two years he learned about the publishing business, and in 1794, when Gales was forced to flee the country to avoid imprisonment, Montgomery took over the Register and changed its name to the Sheffield Iris.
Montgomery published and managed the Sheffield Iris for 32 years. He used the Iris as a tool to distribute the 360 hymns written throughout his life. His most well-known hymns are “Angels, From the Realms of Glory,” “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,” “Songs of Praise the Angels Sang” and “Stand Up and Bless the Lord.”
Montgomery’s “Go to Dark Gethsemane” is still one of his most widely used hymns, most often sung during Lent or during Holy Week. The first three stanzas are most commonly available in hymnals. The fourth stanza, though often omitted today, has been preserved in The United Methodist Hymnal.
Even though the text is now over 185 years old, it has rarely been altered. Many hymns from this era use language that is no longer common in today’s hymns or speech. Hymnal editors typically remove antiquated language and replace it with modern equivalents, but this hymn has remained essentially intact.
This beautiful somber hymn has stood the test of time. We benefit from the art and poetry of Montgomery still today.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1, is the final day to let Pender know you’re attending the Holy Thursday Passover Seder hosted in partnership with KUMC Koinonia.
Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday!) We warmly invite you to a meaningful and reflective Seder experience, where we will explore the powerful symbols of Passover and remember the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt—a cornerstone story in both Jewish and Christian faith traditions.
This Seder is a time to gather in community, reflect on God’s deliverance, and draw connections between the ancient story of freedom and our faith today.
Please note: This will be a symbolic Seder, not a full dinner. We’ve timed it after the dinner hour, so come ready for a spiritual feast rather than a physical one!
We look forward to sharing this sacred evening with you.
On Holy Thursday, Christians often observe a “Christian Seder” or Passover meal, reenacting the Last Supper, which Jesus celebrated with his disciples, and drawing parallels to the Jewish Passover Seder.
Here’s a breakdown of the significance and practice:
Historical Context: Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover Seder, a Jewish ritual meal commemorating the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt, on the night before his crucifixion.
Christian Interpretation: Christians view this Last Supper as the institution of the Eucharist (or Holy Communion), where Jesus shared bread and wine, symbolizing his body and blood, and establishing a new covenant.
Reenactment of the Seder: A Christian Seder on Holy Thursday involves reenacting portions of the Passover Seder, such as the symbolic foods (like matzah, bitter herbs, and a roasted shank bone) and the retelling of the Exodus story.
Symbolism: The symbolic foods and actions in the Seder are interpreted through a Christian lens, highlighting the sacrifice of Jesus and the establishment of the New Covenant.
Examples of Symbolic Foods:
Matzah: Represents the haste of the Israelites’ departure from Egypt, symbolizing the speed of Christ’s sacrifice.
Bitter Herbs: Remind of the bitterness of slavery, mirroring the suffering of Christ.
Roasted Shank Bone: Represents the sacrifice of the Paschal lamb, symbolizing Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice.
Purpose: Participating in a Christian Seder on Holy Thursday allows Christians to deepen their understanding of the Last Supper and the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice, while also connecting with the Jewish roots of their faith.
Worship
A service that brings to life the night in which Jesus began the practice we call the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion. On that first Holy Thursday, there was tension in the air as religious authorities had been conspiring against Jesus. There will be a little tension in our service too as you’ll be invited to become a part of the events of that night. But relax, you can simply watch if you wish.
Jesus met with the disciples in an “Upper Room” to reveal to the mysteries of the Lord’s Supper. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked them to stay awake as he agonized over the direction to which he had been called. He spoke the truth before the religious elite and Roman rulers alike. Join us for Holy Communion, great music and singing, and a service that ends with a twist.
A recommitment to obeying that command is a part of why we gather. We remember Jesus, and we remember his words, and we once again pledge to learn to live by the command. In other words, on this night, we gather and offer ourselves to be gathered up in Jesus by choosing to live by the call to love.
“Tenebrae” is the Latin word meaning “darkness.” The service of Tenebrae as practiced in most Protestant Churches is an adaptation of medieval Roman Catholic practices for each of the days of Holy Week dating back to the ninth century. For Protestants, this single service is typically held at night on Holy Thursday or Good Friday. Pender will hold it’s Tenebrae service on Maundy/Holy Thursday this year.
For United Methodists and some other Protestants, the story of the suffering and death of Jesus from John’s gospel is divided into 16 readings. After each segment of the story is read, a candle is extinguished. After the fifteenth reading, which confirms that Jesus had died on the cross, the last of the 15 lit candles is extinguished or taken away, and a loud sound (called strepitus in Latin) is made to convey the sense of total loss of God’s presence and the effect of the death of Jesus on the universe. The final story of the burial is read in near darkness.
Worshipers leave in silence to ponder the impact of Christ’s death and await the celebration of the coming Resurrection.
Lenten Hymn and Devotion 4, Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Brian Stevenson, Pender UMC Director of Handbells and Ensembles, presents a series of hymn-based devotions on Wednesdays during Lent.
The Fourth is Beneath the Cross of Jesus
1. Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.
2. Upon that cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me;
and from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess:
the wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness.
3. I take, O cross, thy shadow
for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
the sunshine of his face;
content to let the world go by,
to know no gain nor loss,
my sinful self my only shame,
my glory all the cross.
News and Views 