LOOKING INTO LENT & HOLY WEEK
Friday, Mar 1, 12:00 pm (to roughly 12:40 pm)
+ Stations of the Cross
Friday, Mar 15, 7:00 pm (to roughly 7:40 pm)
+ Stations of the Cross
Maundy Thursday, Mar 28, 7:00 pm
+ Holy Communion with Stripping of the Altar
+ Prayer Watch – time to pray – to ‘keep watch with Jesus’ – after the service to 10:00 pm (come and go as you’d like – whenever and for however long)
GOOD FRIDAY, Mar 29, 12:00 noon
+ The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
FOR HEART AND MIND - to grow in faith and understanding
The strength of expression in the flexibility of liturgy – Lenten worship
The use of the liturgy is never meant to be static in its character. Different seasons have various emphases that can be reflected liturgically. This is seen significantly in Lent.
Furthermore, during Lent we do not use the more exuberant expression of praise, “Alleluia,” spoken or sung, and we omit the “Glory (be) to God”, the Gloria in excelsis, in all of our Eucharistic liturgies.
And replacing the usual Blessing there will be a Solemn Prayer over the People as a Lenten practice. While this may be ‘new’ to some, it is a very old tradition that has ancient precedent in the life of the Church, in both the East and the West.
Violet is Lent’s liturgical colour, to express its penitential character.
Also, during Lent, our worship space is more ‘austere’, with the usual banners and more ‘shiny’ elements such as our candlesticks, having been removed (more accurately, exchanged for ‘humbler’ items). In keeping with this there are no flowers in the Sanctuary during Lent, except perhaps on Mothering Sunday, the 4th Sunday in Lent, often thought of as ‘Refreshment Sunday’. Also, the Paschal Candle has been removed, only to return at Easter, though it would be used for funerals in Lent. These ‘adjustments’ use the visual dimension of our senses to remind us of the penitential character of this season.
Have you wondered about fasting, about ‘giving up’ something for Lent?! Here’s a thought or three.
Fast From, Feast On…
Fast from judging others; feast on Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the God’s healing power.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragements; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from worry that overwhelms; feast on prayer that undergirds.
William Arthur Ward (American author, teacher, and pastor, 1921-1994.)
Heavenly Father, with Lent we approach the springtime of the year
when the face of the earth is renewed, and life emerges out of death.
We pray that this season of Lent may be a springtime for our souls,
so that our lives, quickened by the breath of the Spirit
and warmed by the sunshine of your love,
may bear abundant fruit and be made radiant with the beauty of
holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.