Lent is best known for fasting.
The 40 days (without the Sundays) is a season of penitence and reflection. It is one of the oldest traditions in the church, dating as far back as the early 4th Century.
It began with a pair of interesting customs:
- Preparing new members for baptism
- Preparing notorious individuals and the congregation for reconciliation.
Two very different, very powerful images of unity and renewed unity. Of reconciliation, even at the cost of deep-seeded grudges. The changing of hearts and the moving toward hope.
To be frank, Lent is perhaps the most important part of Christian tradition not named “Easter” and it really couldn’t come at a better time.
Lent at St. Stephen’s
Services
- Ash Wednesday (3/1) at noon and 6 pm
- Lent 1 (3/5) at 8 am and 10 am
- Lent 2 (3/12) at 8 am and 10 am
- Lent 3 (3/19) at 8 am and 10 am
- Lent 4 (3/26) at 8 am and 10 am
- Lent 5 (4/2) at 8 am and 10 am
- Holy Week –
- Palm Sunday (4/9) at 8 am and 10 am
- Monday (4/10) at 8 am (morning prayer)
- Tuesday (4/11) at 8 am (morning prayer)
- Wednesday (4/12) at 8 am (morning prayer)
- Thursday (4/13) at 7 pm (Holy Eucharist with footwashing)
- Good Friday (4/14) at noon & Stations of the Cross at 2:30 pm
- The Great Vigil of Easter (4/15) at 8 pm
- Easter (4/16) at 8 am and 10 am
Programming
Lenten Soup and Study – Sundays at 5 pm
Each week in Lent we gather for a dinner of soup, fellowship, and to learn together. This year, instead of studying a book, we will study ourselves, going through a process of gifts discernment. Please join us!
Daring Reads – March 23rd at 6:30 pm
Our monthly book group will meet in the middle of lent to discuss it’s current daring read, Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans.
Resources
We have collected many great resources that may be up your alley. Check out our resource page!
As for me, I’ll be following a different sort of devotional: The OA for Lent, A Digital Lenten Study Guide for Netflix’s Hit Show “The OA”. The show has been on my “to watch list” so this seems like fun. If you join me, let me know! I’d love to talk with you about it!
Grace and Peace,
Drew+