What is Lent?! Learn more.
Lent is known for traditionally being "a season of penitence and fasting" to prepare for the celebration of Easter, Jesus' resurrection from the dead. This tradition began with early Christians thousands of years ago and has evolved over time (which you can read more about here). The current practice of most western churches is a 40-day season for Lent, the first day of which is Ash Wednesday and the last of which is Holy Saturday (the day before Easter). Fun fact: the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays!
All Christians are encouraged to participate in "the observance of a holy Lent" (BCP p. 265), which can look a lot of different ways. Ultimately, the goal of "observing a holy Lent" is to partake in something that helps you draw nearer to God. It is important for you to consider what change in your life you can make for these 40 days to deepen your relationship with God. Could it be reading part of the Bible each day? Could it be committing to going to bed earlier so you can get the rest you need? Could it be deleting Twitter or Facebook apps from your phone to cut down on time spent doom-scrolling each day? In your discernment of how you will observe a holy Lent this year, as your pastors, Amy and Sara would like you to please consider the wisdom from this article, On Not Taking Lent out on Our Bodies. A common Lenten practice to hear about is fasting, either from a particular food or for particular hours. If you are considering this, please think carefully about how this practice will help you draw nearer to God, in addition to the fact that while some minor changes in diet are okay to make on your own, extreme changes in diet and nutritional intake should be made with care and with consultation from a medical doctor.
You will see many liturgical changes in the season of Lent, all designed to evoke a communal experience of simplicity and focus on return and repentance. It is traditional in Episcopal parishes to recite the Great Litany on the First Sunday in Lent. When so doing, the Prayers of the People and the Confession are omitted, as the intercessory prayer and the penitential prayer are in the Great Litany itself. On Sundays following Lent 1, our worship will begin with the Penitential Rite which begins the service with the Confession and includes the Summary of the Law. Throughout the Sundays in Lent, the Gloria is replaced by the Trisagion, Alleluia is omitted - at St. Francis it was "buried" in the altar on Ash Wednesday - and the Blessing at the end of the service will be replaced by the Solemn Prayer Over the People. These are experiential elements that support our journey to a holy Lent.
For a concise definition of the season of Lent as it is understood in the Episcopal Church, see here.
LENTEN RESOURCES
There are lots of ways to observe a holy Lent, and one of the ways that Amy and Sara view their role as pastors and spiritual leaders for you is that as curators; that is, we are here to help you sift through all that is out there and give you some solid recommendations for engaging a holy Lent.
Here's our list of things to consider for Lenten practices in 2023!
Lent-at-Home Bags: Sara and Molly have assembled Lent-at-Home bags that will be available in the entryway of the Worship Entrance starting on Ash Wednesday. You can watch this 10-minute video for an introduction to those bags from Sara. They are designed to be ONE bag per family unit. The materials in these bags are from Illustrated Ministry, an overall phenomenal resource for Christian life - check them out year round! Their Lenten theme this year is "This is My Body", and it's that theme of embodiment that you'll see come through in all of our Lenten offerings this year.
Change for Change: This year's Easter egg hunt will look a little different from the standard one, wherein plastic eggs are filled with candy for kids to find and enjoy. This year, we're going to try something that Sara learned in seminary, which is that all of those plastic eggs will be filled with coins (that's where you come in!) and children will get to donate those coins to one of three local organizations (that the youth group picked out - more information on those later) and receive a goodie bag to take home. The purpose of this model of Easter egg hunt is to embody the theology that is offered to us in Christ's resurrection, which is that promise of new life and new hope. By offering the coins they find to an organization that helps our community, we can teach children that they are part of a community that is offering new life and new hope to its neighbors. So, help us do this by collecting and bringing in all your coins this Lent! A container for donated coins will be out starting on Ash Wednesday.
SafeChurch, SafeCommunities trainings: Sara will be trained as a SafeChurch, SafeCommunities (SCSC) trainer. Starting in March, we will be offering SCSC trainings to all adults. These trainings are all about how we protect each other as beings whose feelings and bodies matter. Note that trainings will be scheduled on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings, with exact times TBA - stay tuned, but mark your calendar in the meantime.
Confession: Try out a private Confession (the Rite of Reconciliation) with Amy. Keep reading for more information about that.
More: And of course, there is so much that is always happening at St. Francis Episcopal Parish & Community Center. From Worship Leadership (reading, acolyting, ushering) to Hablemos Espanol (conversational Spanish), and from making music (Worship Choir, Handbell Choir, Chamber Orchestra, or Praise Band) to feeding people (Welcome Table Wednesdays, Indoor Choice Pantry, Pantry on the Go, Fellowship Hour), there is something for you here (this is an incomplete list - check out the Ministry Directory for more!).
Perhaps Lent is a season where you try out a new ministry for a short period of time to see what it's like!
