Lent

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1 in 2006
and continues until Easter Sunday, April 16 in 2006

"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights..."
  (St. Matthew 4:2)

Rector's statement for Lent, 2006

Dear Friends, I just finished reading a newsletter from a large down town church in another part of the country. Their listing of Lenten offerings was impressive -and exhausting! I suppose because their church is so large- I think they have well over 2,000 members - they can make such a wide array of offerings so as not to be overwhelming to any one group of participants or leaders.  Still, the temptation, shall we say, is to think that the success of our Lenten disciplines will be measured in some part by how much extra time and energy we devote to being spiritually minded during Lent. As if the harder we make ourselves work at spiritual disciplines – either of giving up or taking on a particular activity – the holier our offering will be. One thing I worry about is just how hard people at Saint Luke’s are working. I recently showed our interns a list of all the volunteer coordinator positions in our parish. They were stunned to see the dozens of people it takes just to chair or coordinate the various committees, events and ministries of our congregation. I worry about a paradox that borders on hypocrisy in my own life: what other activities can we add to our busy schedules so that we can find that peace of God that passes all understanding? During our fiftieth anniversary celebrations we saw the fruit of many seasons of labor. We saw and felt the joy that has come from years of worship, work and fellowship. Sometimes there have been seasons of rapid and exhilarating growth. Sometimes there appeared to be seasons of dormancy, where life was there, but more visible in the roots than in the branches.  But as we look back, we see that at all times and during all phases, God has been among us, challenging us, changing us, guiding us. Here at the beginning of Lent, I invite you to first sit down and think about where you are in your own personal season of life. Have you been holding back, resisting a calling to become more fully engaged and focused upon seeking a deeper relationship with God and with finding your ministry at Saint Luke’s? Maybe you need to challenge yourself by exploring what it means to lead a more disciplined Christian life. Do you find yourself tired from all your normal routines? It is possible that a new discipline of scripture reading or worship would give you more energy than it would take?  What are some activities you might want to take a sabbatical from over Lent? What could be put aside for a season in order to let your mind, body and soul rest and make room for God. Well, here at Saint Luke’s we are not adding many extras to our schedule, but we are offering some particular focus to this season of preparation for letting go of old life and preparing to receive new life. We will not endeavor to do more; we will seek the wisdom to do better. I hope you will take the time to read and reflect where opportunities in this parish life can assist drawing your life closer to God’s reconciliation love and energizing spirit. Peace,         The Reverend Anne E. Hodges-Copple

Click these links for Lenten information, readings,  and activities on this page: Special Days on the Church Calendar St Luke's Lenton Collection Some Lenton Sermons from St. Luke's

The liturgical color for Lent is Violet

Notes:  these days listed below are taken from the official Episcopal Calendar, but only the major feasts, and such minor ones as seem especially  interesting for some reason, are given here.  The liturgical color for most major feasts is white, but for Palm Sunday and sometimes for the rest of Holy Week until Good Friday, it is red.  For Good Friday  it is black and the black is often left for Holy Saturday.  For the full lectionary online, from which most of this is derived, click here.

Special Days during Lent:

Ash Wednesday	Mar 1	"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
St. David, Bishop, Patron Saint of Wales	Mar 1	1 Mar 544; St David's cross is usually given as , though sometimes as a black cross on a gold ground.  Unlike those of St Patrick, St George, and St Andrew, it apparently has no official status.  For an account of St David, click here. (This is actually omitted in 2006 because it falls on Ash Wednesday).
John & Charles Wesley, Priests	Mar 3	The founders of Methodism, but they were Anglican priests before that, they died in 1791 and 1788, respectively; for an account of them, click here.
Perpetua & Her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage	Mar 7	Scroll down on this page for a brief account of Perpetua by St. Luke's own Peach McDouall.
St Patrick, Bishop, Missionary	Mar 17	The patron saint of Ireland.  The red (! not green !) diagonal cross of St. Patrick, , along with the crosses of St George (England) and St Andrew (Scotland), is a component of the British Union Jack.  It is also the official flag of the (Anglican) Church of Ireland.   For an account of St Patrick, click here.
St Joseph,  Guardian of Our Lord	Mar 20	All that is known of St. Joseph is in the first two chapters of  Matthew and of Luke. For a fuller account, click here. (Actually it's Mar 19 but moved in 2006 because that is a Sunday).
The Annunciation	Mar 25	The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Click here for a fuller account.
John Donne Priest, Poet, Preacher	Mar 31	Best known today as a poet ("No man is an island...", "Death, be not proud", etc), he lived from 1573-1631.  For a much fuller account including some of his poems, click here.
Martin Luther King Civil Rights Leader	Apr 4	The Episcopal Church honors him on this date because it is the date of his death, in 1968 (saints' days are always the date of their death, not that of their birth), although his official national holiday is his birthday, January 19.
William Augustus Muhlenberg Priest	Apri 8	I guess I'm including him because there aren't that many Pennsylvania Germans in the Episcopal calendar.  Born a Lutheran in Philadelphia in 1796, he was attracted to the Episcopal Church because of its use of English, and was ordained in 1817.  He was very interested in church music, wrote hymns and compiled hymnals.  He died on this date in 1877.  For more details, click here.
Palm Sunday Holy Week begins	Apr 9	"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." The Liturgy of the Palms is held this day, when Holy Week begins.  The liturgical color for this day is usually red.
Maundy Thursday	Apr 13	"Do this in remembrance of me." The day of the Last Supper; after the Eucharist the church is stripped and the crosses draped in black.
Good Friday	Apr 14	The day of Jesus' death.  The church is stripped and in deep mourning, with crosses draped in black.  There is a Good Friday Liturgy, and the Stations of the Cross devotions are often done on this day.
Holy Saturday	Apr 15	Mainly a day of waiting, still in mourning, until the Easter Vigil, which begins after sunset.
(Easter Day, Easter Season begins)	Apr 16	(There will be a new Season page for Easter)