Lent Brochure Master 2013 - Christ Episcopal Church

2013 Schedule of
Lenten Observations
Tuesday, February 12th
5 - 7 pm Pancake Supper, Parish Hall
Wednesday, February 13th
Ash Wednesday Services
12:00 noon and 6:00 pm
Wednesdays in Lent - The Christ
Church Lenten Lecture Series
5:30 - 6:15 pm Light Meal provided
6:30 - 7:30 pm Lecture (see schedule)
Sunday, March 24th
Palm Sunday Services
8:00 am
10:30 am Palm Procession
Thursday, March 28th
Maundy Thursday Service at 7:00 pm
The Watch of Gethsemane to follow
Friday, March 29th
Stations of the Cross 12:00 noon
Good Friday Service with
Reserve Sacrament 7:00 pm
Sunday, March 31st
Easter Sunday Services
6:30 am Sunrise Service
10:30am Easter Celebration
2013 Lenten Lecture Series
Schedule, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Wednesdays in Lent,
Parish Hall
February 20 - Bp. Mano Rumalshah,
Ret. Bishop of the Church of Pakistan
February 27 - Mr. Andrew Lazo,
noted C.S. Lewis scholar and author.
March 6 - Rev. Israel Ahimbisibwe,
former Ugandan priest, now Priest-in-
Charge at Redeemer Church, Houston
March 13 - No program due to Spring
Break. No meal provided.
March 20 - Evensong service with
choir, church

Lent
Lent (meaning “40 days” or “40 th day”), is a
6-week penitential season in the church that
recalls Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness.
During those 40 days, Jesus fasted and His humanity
was tempted by Satan. It was our Lord’s
first victory over evil. Of course, if you add up
the total days of Lent it actually comes out to
more than 40. Sundays are not counted, however,
since they are always considered “feast days”
that celebrate the resurrection. In the ancient
church, Lent was the time when converts were
instructed on the tenants of the faith in preparation
for their baptism.
Lent is a season of self-reflection. We
acknowledge our sin and need for a savior. We
give thanks for the saving work of Jesus Christ.
Some choose to “give something up” or to “take
on” something new in order to gain a new, or renewed
sense of growing closer to God. The 3
traditional practices taken on with more “vigor”
during Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
The season is meant to enable us to have an intentional
focus on our need for
repentance and salvation, which then moves us to
understand our dependence upon the saving grace
of Christ Jesus.
We, like Jesus, are not meant to stay in the
wilderness. We are meant to move towards the
light. Any reflection on sin and
shortcoming therefore, must always be tempered
by the hope and saving grace of Christ.
Shrove Tuesday/ Ash Wednesday
Shrove Tuesday, also known as “Fat Tuesday”
and “Pancake Day,” occurs the day before Ash
Wednesday. Long ago, it became a tradition to
celebrate on this day since the season of Lent, which
begins on Ash Wednesday, is marked by fasting.
The word “shrove” comes from the word “shrive”
which means to obtain absolution of one’s sins
through confession and penance. We eat pancakes
because they are made from rich foods like eggs,
milk, and sugar; foods that some give up for Lent in
lieu of “plainer” faire.
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent. Ashes
are placed on the foreheads of those attending
church that day. This recalls the ancient practice of
publically covering oneself with ashes as a sign of
grief or mourning. In a sense, it recalls our “grief”
and “mourning” over our sin. It also recalls our
mortality; the ashes are “imposed” with the words,
“remember that you are dust and to dust you shall
return.” The ashes imposed come from the burnt
palms used on Palm Sunday from the previous year.
Palm Sunday, Maundy
Thursday, and Good Friday
Palm Sunday begins “Holy Week;” a time when we
begin to retell the story of our Lord’s Passion
(suffering). Each person attending church that day
receives a Palm branch; we process into the church
while waving our palms to begin the service. This
recalls our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem
when the crowds waved their palms as a sign victory
and praise. Five days later, this same crowd will yell
“Crucify him!”
Maundy Thursday recalls our Lord’s betrayal. The
word “Maundy” comes from a Latin word for
“mandate.” On this night, Jesus mandated that we
do 2 things; partake of the bread and the wine (Holy
Communion) and wash one another’s feet.
We do both during our service. We also “strip” the
altar at the end of the service, removing everything
and leaving the altar bare. This reminds us of
our Lord’s betrayal, a night when he was stripped
of his dignity.
Good Friday is our observance of Jesus’ crucifixion.
On this day we walk the “Stations of the
Cross”, which recalls our Lord’s painful steps to
Calvary along the Via Dolorosa (“Way of Suffering”)..
The Gospels reflect that the crucifixion occurred
on a Friday.
Easter Vigil/Easter
The Easter Vigil takes place on the Saturday following
Good Friday. It is considered the holiest
night of the year since we believe that, sometime
before sunrise, Jesus was resurrected from his
tomb. In the ancient church, this was the only time
when the church baptized those who had been
prepared during Lent. The church is dark as we
begin; we walk in with candles to celebrate the light
of Christ coming into a dark world. The Service
ends in light and fan fare.
Easter Sunday celebrates
the discovery of the empty tomb!