Lent 2020
Lent is the six-week period that precedes the celebration of Easter. Lent is also often identified with the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness and the texts encourage us to engage the idea of wilderness, scarcity, and challenge. Beginning on Ash Wednesday (2/26), Lent is a season of prayer and reflection in which Christians around the world actively seek to draw more near to God. As we prepare for Easter, the Church has historically encouraged a time of fasting and formation. That can take a variety of forms, and most often it includes giving something up or taking something on. This could mean we refrain from eating certain foods or participating in certain activities. It could also mean that we take on extra patterns of prayer, attend an adult series, or build acts of kindness intentionally into our everyday lives. Christians have practiced their faith in many different ways throughout this season, but the goal is always the same: to remove the obstacles, to soften our hearts, to change our thinking so that we can draw more near to the God who loves us. At St. Matt's this year, there will be many opportunities to do just that.
In Holy Week, you will have the opportunity to worship every day, to travel with Jesus through his last days on earth.
Special events in the season of Lent are outlined below. Please click on the links for more information about a specific event.
Worship
- Ash Wednesday (2/26): Holy Eucharist & the Imposition of Ashes at 11:00am and 7pm
- Labyrinth: Join us on Wednesday, March 4th, to experience the spiritual practice of walking the Labyrinth from 6:00-8:00pm.
- Lenten Quiet Morning: March 28th from 9:30am-11:30am; Join us for all or part of this time, make space in your day to come away and be with God in silence and prayer.
Adult Formation
- Episcopal 101: A four-part series, an introduction (or refresher!) to the Episcopal Church
- Lenten Series: Watch & discuss the Gospel passages for Holy Week, experience the last days of Jesus' life.
- Pub Theology: Save the date for a special Lenten themed conversation on Sunday 3/22 at 2:00pm
Lent in a Bag
Lent is a season when many people make a special focus on enhancing their ever-growing and loving relationship with God. Christ’s life, ministry, and death are remembered during this season. It’s also a time to think about how God is with us all the time. You may do this through prayer, reading the Bible, helping others, or something else. Anything that connects you to God is a great practice. St. Matt’s also has a simple tool for you to take home (adults, families, children, youth – anyone!) to help you focus on some of the themes of Lent through the use of everyday objects. Pick up your “Lent in a Bag” in the narthex; it contains 6 small items to be used as symbols to focus your meditation or household conversation during the season of Lent.
Holy Week
- Palm Sunday (4/5): Worship at 8am & 10am, with the Procession of the Palms & Reading of the Passion at 10am.
- Monday (4/6): Holy Eucharist at 7pm
- Tuesday (4/7): Holy Eucharist at 7pm
- Wednesday (4/8): Holy Eucharist at 7pm
- Thursday (4/9): Maundy Thursday worship at 7pm
- Good Friday (4/10): Liturgy for Good Friday at Noon, Stations of the Cross at 7pm
- Holy Saturday (4/11): The Preparation Liturgy at 9am (this very brief service precedes our preparations for Sunday)
- Easter (4/12): Holy Eucharist with hymns at 8am and Festival Choral Eucharist at 10am followed by an Easter Egg Hunt!
Photo Credit: A Sanctified Art