Dear Christ Church,
Let’s get ready for Lent! This annual walk with Jesus toward self-emptying love and new life starts next week. Lent is a quieter season marked by practices that help us pay attention to the reordering of our loves, self-examination, prayer, and concern for the poor. These are things we can attend to in our own lives, but it’s also a season of corporate preparation to create space for Christ—the whole community supporting each other as we enter a holy Lent together. Here are some ways to do just that:
Lenten Devotions from the Matthew 25 Initiative. One tradition for our observance of Lent is to receive these brief but beautiful quotes-prayers-reflections. They are inspiring, artistic, and theologically grounded, drawing readers near to Jesus’ heart for those who are vulnerable, trafficked, living in poverty, unhoused, and as refugees and immigrants far from home. You can subscribe to the 40 devotions here.
Read our 2024 Lenten Book Selection: Over the coming weeks, we’ll be reading The Love That is God by Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt. See last week’s CliffNotes for Kester’s introduction! This is one of the best books I’ve read in years, in fresh and simple language, about the heart of the gospel. Copies will be available on a table in the courtyard on Sunday for a suggested donation of $15, or buy a copy from your favorite bookseller.
Come to an Ash Wednesday service: Ash Wednesday ushers us into Lent as we consider the suffering of Jesus and our own frailty. We’ll have two services, 12pm and 7pm. Childcare is available at the 12pm service only, with registration here.
Join us for Noonday Eucharist each Wednesday: Beginning February 21st, we’ll open the sanctuary at 12pm for quiet reflection and prayer (including self-guided meditation on the stations of the cross). We will celebrate Holy Eucharist at 12:30, with the service ending by 1pm. Come for either the quiet reflection or Holy Eucharist or both!
Lastly, you can catch all our Lenten resources and opportunities on this special page, created to assist you in entering a Holy Lent.
Yours,
Cliff+