From the Pastors... |
From the Pastor... |
| The season of Lent, originated in the fourth century of the
church. Lent spans 40 weekdays beginning on Ash Wednesday and climaxing during Holy Week
with Holy Thursday (Maundy Thursday), Good Friday, and concluding Saturday before Easter.
Originally, Lent was the time of preparation for those who were to be baptized, a time of
concentrated study and prayer before their baptism at the Easter Vigil, the celebration of
the Resurrection of the Lord early on Easter Sunday. But since these new members were to
be received into a living community of Faith, the entire community was called to
preparation. Also, this was the time when those who had been separated from the Church
would prepare to rejoin the community. Lent is marked by a time of prayer and preparation to celebrate Easter. Since Sundays celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the six Sundays that occur during Lent are not counted as part of the 40 days of Lent, and are referred to as the Sundays in Lent. The number 40 is connected with many biblical events, but especially with the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry by facing the temptations that could lead him to abandon his mission and calling. Christians today use this period of time for introspection, self examination, and repentance. This season of the year is equal only to the Season of Advent in importance in the Christian year, and is part of the second major grouping of Christian festivals and sacred time that includes Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. (http://www.crivoice.org/cylent.html) During Lent I want to encourage you to join me in short periods of reflection and prayer. Beginning at 6:30 pm on Wednesday 29 February through Wednesday 4 April you are invited to join me for a brief Lenten meditation and time of prayer. These gatherings will follow the time of open prayer in the sanctuary and will take place in the Kum Dubble room. We will be finished by 7:15 pm to accommodate choir practice. In the words of the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer: “You are invited, 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.” It is to this observation of a holy Lent that I encourage and invite each of you.
Jim |