Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great
devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and
it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided
a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy
Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of
notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful
were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set
forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all
Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer. BCP, pgs. 264-265
And so begins the Holy Season of Lent, with these words of invitation said during our Ash Wednesday Services. The spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, self-denial, and immersing oneself in the Holy Word of God are all ways to observe the season in which we will walk with Jesus Christ towards the Cross, and ultimately, towards the Resurrection.
This year, Lent begins on March 1st. For the month of February, we will continue to celebrate Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles and to the world, recognition of the Light in our world, the Son of God identified by the Holy Spirit and God’s voice at Baptism. The Season of Epiphany naturally feeds into the Season of Lent. Epiphany establishes the identity of Jesus as God made manifest, which then allows us to follow him, with faith and confidence, walking the journey towards Good Friday.
Let the remainder of this Epiphany Season be brilliantly bright. May you seek Christ in all corners of the earth. Let the Season of Lent be imbued with soft shadows of grace and love. May you seek Christ in all corners of your own interior souls.
~Lori+
Children’s Service for the Imposition of Ashes
For all children and their families, we will be distributing ashes in the Little Church on Tuesday Evening, February 28. This will happen at the tail end of the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner, so please plan on eating your pancakes early so you will be finished in time for our Imposition of Ashes service.
Ash Wednesday Services
Join us for one of these three services on March 1: 7:00am, 12:00pm, and 7:00pm.