Milk and Honey Lattes
Right after we sort out the candy, take down the cobwebs and spooky decorations, and toss the rotting pumpkin from our front porch, Sarah is ready to decorate for Christmas and start drinking Peppermint Mochas.
I, on the other hand, am a traditionalist. I need to wait another four weeks or so, watch Santa glide past Macy’s on a Thursday morning, and eat an unhealthy amount of carbs before I’m ready to prepare my heart and mind for Christmas.
We can’t wait to celebrate and remember Jesus stepping into creation. We jump at the opportunity to look toward the little town of Bethlehem. We love the traditions of counting down the days and indulging in the treats of the season.
But Easter feels different.
Many of us grew up in churches or traditions that didn’t do much in the lead-up to Easter. Suddenly, we realize Easter is this weekend, and we scramble to find nice clothes for church or family pictures.
What if we prepared for Easter like we do for Christmas? What if we remembered Jesus journeying to the cross? What if we jumped at the opportunity to look toward Jerusalem? What if we embraced the tradition of counting down the days, spending time fasting and praying?
Jesus didn’t stumble into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. He had set his eyes on his calling and purpose, entering with a heart and mind prepared to change the course of human history.
I believe that with some intentionality, we wouldn’t just stumble into Holy Week, realizing last minute that we needed new Easter clothes. Instead, we’d enter in with hearts and minds prepared. We’d be open to God moving in our lives, helping us see the fullness of Jesus’ journey.
So, I hope you’ll begin this season of Lent with us.
It all begins this Wednesday, March 5th, at 6 PM—the start of Lent. Lent is simply the 40 days (minus Sundays) leading up to Easter morning. As we step into this season of prayer and reflection, fasting and abstaining, we do so as we journey with Jesus to Jerusalem. Our service will be simple, much like our regular worship services, but will conclude with the opportunity to receive ashes. The ashes, applied to the back of your hand or forehead, remind us that from dust we came and to dust we will return. Our hope is to repent and believe in the gospel, to acknowledge our mortality, and to remember that true life is found in Jesus.
If you’d like to learn more about Lent or Ash Wednesday—or if you just enjoy listening to Sarah and me ramble—you should check out our podcast, where we unpack these traditions for those less familiar with them. It’s available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream.
We also have Lent Guides to help you be intentional during this season. Hard copies will be available at The Chapel on Wednesday, and digital copies can be accessed here.
For details on all our services, digital Lent guides, a curated Lent playlist, and more resources, visit thechapelatseaside.com/easter.
Holy Week Services:
- Palm Sunday: April 13th, 10 AM
- Maundy Thursday Communion Service: April 17th, 6 PM
- Good Friday: April 18th, 6 PM
- Easter Sunrise Service: Seaside Beach, Sunday, April 20th, 6 AM
- Easter Sunday Services at The Chapel: April 20th, 8:30 AM & 10 AM
All details are available at thechapelatseaside.com/easter.
Also This Week:
Tuesday Noon Prayer Hour We gather every Tuesday for a simple hour of guided prayer and worship. You can come and go as needed. It’s a beautiful and peaceful time to sit in The Chapel—to pray, reflect, pause, listen, worship, and praise as we gaze upon our God and King.
Bible Studies We are wrapping up our Exodus Bible Studies this week:
- Men’s Study: Wednesday, 8 AM
- Women’s Study: Wednesday, 9:30 AM
- Young Adults Study: Thursday, 8 AM
We’ll continue journeying through the rest of the Torah—Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—before summer. If you’ve missed out on Bible Study, check out our podcast, Chapel Study Notes, wherever you stream.
Since we are talking about Egypt…I do have a question…
We’re wondering, would you be interested in taking a physical journey with us to Egypt next Spring Break, 2026? We’re looking at the 2nd or 3rd week of March and want to gauge interest before we start planning.
This trip would include all the must-see sites in Egypt, with the option to visit Jordan, The Dead Sea and Petra as well. Our dream is for this to be the first of three incredible journeys—followed by a Journeys of Paul cruise and, when safe and possible, a Holy Land trip to walk where Jesus walked.
Let us know if you’d be interested by responding to [email protected]. We’d love to explore this with you.
Night of Worship – Hymn Sing This Sunday, March 9th, at 6 PM, we’re gathering for an evening of music and worship. Several times a year, we host these special nights, and this Sunday, Nate Kelly, our worship leader, along with some friends, will lead us in singing the great hymns of the faith.
This is a beautiful time of year—warmer days and the anticipation of what’s to come. I hope we can hold onto that same sense of anticipation as we begin this journey with Jesus. It may not include peppermint mochas…but (land flowing with) milk and honey lattes are quite good too. The next 40 days will have their highs and lows, but we know how the story ends—and you don’t want to miss it.
I look forward to seeing you this week at The Chapel, journeying with you through Lent, and celebrating Jesus’ triumph over sin and death.
As always, if you’re out of town, under the weather, or just need to worship from home, you can watch all our services live on our website (thechapelatseaside.com), our Facebook page (facebook.com/TheChapelAtSeaside), or our Vimeo page (vimeo.com/thechapelatseaside).
Let us know if you need anything or have any questions. We hope to see you on the journey.
Blessings,
Andrew