A Holy Lent

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40 days of Lent: A journey to the Cross
Ash Wednesday begins the Holy Journey to the Cross that we call Lent. It is a time to put away the cares of the world and to follow our Lord and Savior to Jerusalem, to Calvary, to the Tomb. A time to prepare our heart, minds, body and soul to accept the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us.

In this one penitential season the Church asks the faithful to lay aside our own concerns and to remember what the price of Easter was and is. The Crucifixion of the only Son of God!

If we keep a Holy Lent, then the true meaning and joy of Easter permeates our life in fullness, because we have journeyed to the death that is Calvary; the sacrifice that is the Cross. We are thus empowered to the new life of the Resurrection.
During Lent, many Christians adopt a three-fold discipline of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. This Lent, St. Andrew’s is offering several ways to help you in our Lenten devotions.

Prayer
Each Friday in Lent, beginning Feb. 19, we will offer the service of Stations of the Cross and Morning Prayer in the Sanctuary.

In addition, it is important that we set aside a few minutes each day to be with our God; to look at our lives and to seek his will for us. You cannot follow Christ unless you take time to ask where he is going. The Daily Office, beginning on Page 35 of The Book of Common Prayer, offers and excellent pattern for daily prayer, including special prayers for Lent.

Fasting
Fasting is not a popular concept in our time. Dieting is, but fasting is not. Perhaps that is because we do not understand why we do it. In Lent, we fast in two ways. The first is known to most of us. We “give something up” for Lent.

Giving up something is another way of saying fasting. We fast from something. We generally give up something that we know we will miss so that the absence of it, the desire for it, will keep in our minds the sacrifice that Christ made for us: His very life. What we give up is not nearly so important as that we do give up something that we will miss. Sundays are feast days in Lent; a time when we can splurge a little and have what we gave up. This is because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, when our Lord’s life was restored to him.
In addition to this kind of fasting, there are two fast days in the Anglican Church: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days we are asked to abstain from solid food from dawn to dusk. Of course broth, tomato soup, water and beverages are fine. But we abstain from solid food so that at least two days out of a year we understand what it means to be hungry (something most Americans don’t often feel). This helps us to keep in mind the plight of those who don’t have enough to eat, and also focuses our attention on the need to be “hungry” for the Gospel.

Of course, young children and anyone with special medical problems should not attempt to fast. The rest of us can gain much spiritually by submitting ourselves to this discipline.

Study
Lent is also a time when we make time to learn more about the faith. This Lent we have several opportunities for study. We are offering a church-wide study on “The Last Days of Jesus”. (See story at left.) In addition, Bible study for adults and youth are offered at 9:30 and 11 a.m. each Sunday.

Almsgiving
Almsgiving is historically the giving of gifts or money to the poor. This Lent, St. Andrew’s offers several opportunities for almsgiving. We will continue to collected items for needy each on the following schedule:

• March 1 — Canned goods
• March 8 — Dry boxed goods
• March 15 — Baby food and supplies
• March 22 — Paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc.)
• March 29 — Housecleaning products

In addition, the Common Ground Free Store of Delaware has an urgent need for blankets, towels and dishes. And, of course, our Parish Discretionary Fund can always use cash donations to help the poor and needy in our midst.

Baskets to collect these items will be at the entrance to the Sanctuary. Contribution to the Discretionary Fund may be placed in the offering basket on Sundays. If you give cash, please place it in an envelope marked “Discretionary Fund”, and if you contribute via check, please mark “Discretionary Fund” in the memo section.

Come join us on this journey that is Lent. Walk with our Lord the steps to Calvary. And join with him in his glorious Resurrection!