Lent

"The purpose of Lent is not to force on us a few formal obligations, but to 'soften' our heart so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, to experience the hidden 'thirst and hunger' for communion with God." - Alexander Schmemann, Great Lent

Bookstore Recommendations

Lent Playlist

"Morning by morning new mercies I see."

The church season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, where we come forward and receive a cross of ash marked on our forehead along with the words, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." This is a somber service. The colors in the sanctuary change from a brilliant white on Transfiguration Sunday to a deep purple on Ash Wednesday. We spend a little longer confessing our sins on this day and on Sundays throughout Lent. But the somberness, the darkness, the ash, the reminder of our mortality, all of these things serve one purpose - to wake us up. To wake us up to our own sin, and to wake us up to the goodness of the Lord. Just as the disciples on the mount of Transfiguration had to be startled awake from their spiritual slumber, so we must be startled awake from the familiar and the comfortable. And the Lord does so in the season of Lent, in particular, in order that we might see him more clearly, recognize his mercies to us - new every morning - and rejoice more fully at Easter.

So, we invite you to join us in the season of Lent, in worship together and in practice throughout the week. Join us for midweek Eucharist services on Wednesdays at noon. Consider, as is the ancient practice of the Church, fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Consider laying aside a food, a drink, a habit, or a vice this season and replacing it with prayer, reading scripture, memorizing scripture, or simply sitting quietly in the presence of the Lord for a few minutes each day.

An invitation to a Holy Lent - which we hear every year at Ash Wednesday - is an invitation to make this season set apart for God. Begin simply by setting aside time in the midst of the hurry of the week to pause, to remember, to reflect on God's mercies to you.

Ash Wednesday Service

The Season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday on February 22.

Midweek Eucharist Services

Wednesdays during Lent, join us in the Chapel at noon for a brief Eucharist service to help mark this season as set apart. We invite those who are able to make this service a regular practice as part of your observance of a holy Lent.

Services begin at noon and are 45 minutes long. Childcare is provided for 3s and under.
Lent originated as a time of preparation for Easter, spanning 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday. The focus of the season is repentance - a turning of our hearts, minds, and actions from ourselves to God. The Sundays in Lent are in the season but not of it and are celebrated as "feast" days, traditionally days on which Lenten fasts are broken as we gather together for worship and to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

Purple, the color of Lent, signifies penitence and humility and is meant to remind us of humanity's suffering under sin and of Christ's suffering on the cross- the color of a bruise. Purple is also the color of royalty and anticipates the coming glory of Christ's resurrection on Easter.

Special Days to Remember

Palm Sunday

Sunday, April 2
Palm Sunday is the entrance into what is known in the Church as "Holy Week." It is also often called "Passion Sunday." At All Saints, we use both and call it "Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday." One really needs both titles in order to describe the events we mark on this day. We mark the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem with waving Palm branches, a celebration! But we also mark the entrance into Jerusalem as the final leg of his journey as he draws near to the cross, his passion. Join us on this day as the children lead us in worship with a Palm processional and as the color of the season changes from purple to red in preparation for all that is to come in Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 6
The word "Maundy" comes from a Latin word "mandatum" that means "command." On this day in human history, Jesus said to his disciples: "A new command I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another." Jesus said this immediately after having shown them how they were to love... by washing their feet. It was also on this day that the Lord instituted the Eucharist meal by celebrating the Passover with his disciples and using it as a sign of what he would do on the next day, Good Friday.

Good Friday

Friday, April 7
On the Friday prior to Easter, Good Friday, the Church traditionally marks the crucifixion, suffering, death, and burial of Jesus. Services on this day are a time of both somber reflection as well as preparation for the celebration of Easter morning. At All Saints, our service includes a dramatic reading of the passion narrative from the gospel of John, a brief homily, and a time of prayer. The congregation leaves in darkness and silence.  Although Good Friday is marked by sadness and mourning, it is not without joy. We hope that those who gather on Friday and leave in darkness will return on Sunday in the light of the celebration of Easter and the resurrection.

Easter Sunday

7:00 AM Sunrise Worship Service
8:30 AM Worship Service
9:45 AM Worship Service
11:00 AM Worship Service