Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. During Ashes to Go and the noon and 7:00 pm services, I invited attendees to the observance of a Holy Lent. Ashes were imposed, Psalm 51 said, and penitent prayers lifted to God. Yesterday’s services kicked off a forty-day period we call Lent. Whether you were able to join us in person, online, or were too busy to attend, you are still invited to the observance. We, as a church, will walk together through the next forty days together as an intentional community of faith.
Lent brings changes to our worship. When you come to church Sunday, you will notice no flowers! Our crosses are veiled, including above the altar (Thank you, Joe French and Bill Borne). Our music shifts to a more solemn offering. And there are a few changes in our liturgy. On Sundays in Lent, we will begin our time together with confession and absolution. Our Eucharistic Prayer will change. We will add a Fraction Anthem (Agnes Dei).
We will also add a few offerings. Wednesdays, St. James will offer Stations of the Cross, a Lenten Soup Supper, and an excellent Lenten program. We will also hold an adult confirmation class. I offer to hear confessions anytime. However, during Lent, private confession is encouraged. Your clergy are available by appointment to hear confession all during Lent. These changes and additions are designed to give us space to reflect on our continual need for repentance and forgiveness.
So, let me invite you into a Holy Lent. May the next forty days remind us that Jesus’ mission of grace and reconciliation continues to this very moment. And the needs of humanity have not changed…we need God’s grace and mercy every day of our lives! Join me in the journey…and in forty days, we will find ourselves metaphorically in Jerusalem waving our palms and cheering for our champion…Jesus!
Fr. Michael+