You will find a warm and friendly welcome at St John's Lutheran Church. We invite you to join us in a celebration of worship, Christian fellowship, study, and service. When you become a part of our exciting journey of faith, you will be encouraged, challenged, and rewarded with renewed spirituality.
9:30 am., 16th February 2025
Lay Reader Phillip
St Johns Lutheran Church
10 Derwent Way,
West Wodonga
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
9:30 am., 23rd February 2025
Lay Reader TBA
St Johns Lutheran Church
10 Derwent Way,
West Wodonga
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
9:30 am., 2nd March 2025
Lay Reader TBA
St Johns Lutheran Church
10 Derwent Way,
West Wodonga
Transfiguration of Our Lord
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and falls on the Wednesday after Transfiguration Sunday. It derives its name from the custom of placing ashes on the foreheads of believers as a sign of repentance. Using ashes as a sign of repentance is an ancient custom which is often mentioned in the Bible (e.g. Ezekiel 9:4; Ecclesiastes 3:20; Daniel 9:3; Matthew 11:21). The early Christians adopted the use of ashes from this Jewish practice as an external mark of penitence. Ashes symbolise several aspects of our human existence:
- Ashes remind us of God's condemnation of sin. God said to Adam, ‘Dust you are and to dust you shall return’ (Genesis 3:19).
- Ashes suggest cleansing and renewal. In years gone by they were used instead of soap. On Ash Wednesday ashes are a substitute for water as a reminder of our baptism.
- Ashes remind us of the brevity of human life. Burial services often include the words ‘Earth to earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes.’
- Ashes are a symbol of our need to repent, confess our sins, and obey God.
The ashes used are gathered after the palm crosses from the previous year's Palm Sunday are burned. Those who wish to receive the ashes come forward. Ashes are applied (or imposed) with the pastor’s thumb in the form of a small cross on the forehead of each person with the words: ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’
Join with us in our Holy Communion Service at St John’s Lutheran Church, 1o Derwent Way, West Wodonga on 5 March 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
