Friends,

People often don't look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Words like "sacrifice," "discipline," and "self-denial" are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth.

While the church asks, "Should the seriousness in which we undertake our spiritual lives in Lent, be the model for every day of the year?", we have treated Lent like we do a visit to the dentist or our yearly check-up. After six months of not flossing, we floss the day of our appointment with the dentist. After a year of dieting on bacon-cheese burgers, we add a few salads in hope of it lowering our cholesterol levels.

More useful, I feel, is to see Lent as a yearly new beginning. Each year we have six weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and priorities are in line with God's desires for us. Lent is a chance to "return to God with our whole heart."

No time in the Christian year calls us to reflect on transformational change like Lent leading toward Easter. Springtime is lush with rebirth, new beginnings, and new growth. Too often, however, we want to race to the Easter Resurrection without fully embracing the Lenten process.

Lent begins with ashes. They remind us of the simplicity and dignity of our origins - no better or worse than any other human being, made from the same stuff as the rest of creation. Ashes call us to reflection. Over these coming 40 days, practices of prayer and meditation open us to the transcendent meaning and message of the Gospel. Fasting, or limiting some of our consumption, perhaps by cutting back on social media or the never-ending news, helps us focus on what matters most and our need for healthy habits. In addition, almsgiving, through embracing a generosity of time and attention with those we might otherwise overlook, helps us focus outside ourselves to the larger community.

It is important to pause and remember that "fast" means "to observe". How are we going to observe this time the Church has given us to pay close attention to our relationship with God? What would most benefit us and make us better prepared to stand before the empty tomb with awe, wonder, and great joy? In Lent we find hope in the never-depleted opportunity for change and healing. Lent invites us to be available to the life and wholeness of God for which we long.

Below, please, find St. Luke’s Lenten Offering and the schedule of service for Holy Week. We are invited to the keeping of a Holy Lent to be better able to experience Easter Joy!

In Christ,

Dale+

Wednesday Lenten Program and Holy Week Schedule

“Walking with Jesus during Holy Week” will be the topic of our Wednesday Lenten program this year. We are very excited that we will be sharing this time with our brothers and sisters at Manakin. Each week you will have the choice of attending during the time and at the location that best suits your needs. Please bring your own lunch for those preferring a daytime option that will conclude with Noonday prayers. If you like the evening offering, please bring what you would like to share for potluck dinner concluding with Compline.

Through presentations, we will gain an understanding of the importance of each service during Holy Week. As we journey with Christ to the cross, the meaning of the services and music will become more relevant in our growth.

Wednesday Lenten Program and Holy Week Services:

Holy Week Services:

Lenten Adult Forum

Our Easter Day celebrations will include the Renewal of Baptismal Vows. In order to better prepare for our promising anew to follow Christ as our Lord and Savior, adult forum will provide time and space for a time of reflection on the Baptismal Covenant. Adult forum meets in the Parish hall 9:10 AM – 10:00 AM

MARCH 6 | Christian Initiation, What is Baptism?

MARCH 13 | Water

MARCH 20 | Holy Spirit

MARCH 27 | Church

APRIL 3 | Living the Baptismal Covenant

Sunday Afternoon Poustinia | The Life-Giving Desert

Poustinia is the Russian word for “desert” or “wilderness”. It has come to be used in the Christian East as “a place of silence, stillness, prayer, and reflection”. Each Sunday in Lent and on Palm Sunday, St. Luke’s will provide time and space for prayer, stillness, and reflection in the church at 3:00 PM. Each week’s Poustinia will use scripture, quiet, music, and prayer to assist in the encountering of God, who is at all times available, but our lives do not lend themselves to pausing to recognize this truth. Each week will be structured differently, to allow for multiple experiences.