Lent at St. Peter's Church

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.

--Book of Common Prayer, p. 265

 

An Invitation to a Holy Lent

The liturgy of Ash Wednesday invites us all to observe a holy Lent. It is a time to be intentional and thoughtful about our faith, but also to acknowledge our own humanity. It is a time to slow down and re-prioritize our life of faith. It is a time to focus on cultivating our own relationship with God. In the Episcopal Church, we often focus on the three pillars of praying, fasting, and giving during this season. This page contains links and ideas for a variety of resources during Lent. Try one, or more, and see how this season of reflection and examination can bring you closer to God.

Ash Wednesday / March 5 / services at noon and 7:30 pm

The Life of Moses: Friendship with God - Wednesdays in Lent

The Life of Moses, and early-church biography of Moses, concludes, "To be known by God and to become God's friend, this is true perfection." In a story that begins with voice from the Burning Bush, the life of Moses becomes the icon of such a friendship.

Our Lenten Bible Study this year will explore friendship with God through key moments in Moses's story and what opportunities that might open for us to grow in our friendship with God, a key focus of the Lenten journey.

Please note the 7 pm start time. This is earlier than our normal evening service times because it helps those who work in the morning, especially teachers, to attend fully and not be as sleepy.

Join us in person or online in the All Saints Conference Room Wednesdays in Lent. Paticipants are encouraged to attend in person if they are able. If distance or health limits travel, online participation is celebrated!.

Join us on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm: March 12, 19, 26, April 2, & 9, onsite in All Saints Conference Rom or Online via Zoom

Four Lenten Activities
(Choose one or two!)

Follow the Way of Love through Lent, focusing on seven practices that guide us to intentional commitment to following Jesus: Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go, and Rest. This daily calendar can be printed or viewed digitally throughout the season.

Using a calendar template from Praying in Color is a simple, daily, and playful but serious practice for praying our way through the forty days of Lent. Each day, choose a word to ponder or a person to pray for. Write the word or name in the allotted space with a pen and draw or doodle around it. Add color with colored pencils or markers, or stick with pencil or pen. Let the word or name speak to you. If words come to you as you draw, pray them. If not, just continue to draw or doodle, stay quiet, and let the word or name burrow into your mind and heart. Returning to the calendar each day establishes a special time to be present to God and to listen.

This year, we offer Lift Up Your Voice, a devotional booklet from salt+. “All of creation,” wrote St. Hildegard of Bingen, “is a song of praise to God” – a swirling symphony all around us. So for this year’s 40-day Lenten journey, why not take the Christian musical treasury as your guide, classic hymns and sacred songs bringing together big ideas and beautiful melodies?

In this devotional, each week, reflections on biblical texts and beloved music inspire practices you can try yourself, with your family or friends, or with your congregation. As the days lengthen, the birds will sing – and so will we, joining in with creation’s symphony of sorrow and joy, death and new life. Lift up your voice!

(This excellent resource is copyright protected and we purchase a limited-use license—let us know if you would like us to send you a copy, or pick one up at church!)

Lent Madness began at Forward Movement in 2010 as a fun and irreverent way to combine the friendly competition of sports with Lenten devotions focused on the saints. It has gained in popularity each year, and has quite a following across the country (and possibly around the world). Each year, a selection of 32 saints are placed in a competitive bracket format, with online voting each weekday of Lent to determine who moves on in each round to ultimately win the Golden Halo. Learning about saints, who are complex, not-perfect Christians like many of us, is a great way to engage children in a Lenten faith-at-home activity--check out this Grow Christians article for suggestions! Fill out your bracket, follow the competition, and vote for your favorites! 

A Lenten Meditation on Isaiah 58

“Hunger and Healing” evokes the expectant lament of Lent through the arid landscapes of the Salton Sea and Imperial Sand Dunes, with scripture drawn from Isaiah 58. The meditation was filmed by FULLER studio at Marion County, Iowa; St. Andrew’s Church in Pasadena, California; the Salton Sea; and Imperial Sand Dunes in Imperial County, California. The audio for this video is in Spanish with titles in Korean, Mandarin, and English. For FULLERstudio: Lauralee Farrer, director; Ron Allchin, producer; Nate Harrison, director of photography; Lindsey Sheets, cinematographer; Timothy Kay, cinematographer; Tim Ronca, cinematographer; Patrick O’Neil Duff, editor; Jennifer Hernandez, narration; OX Creative, titles.

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Prayer Resources

Prayer is an integral part of many Lenten practices. We are invited to engage in self-examination and repentance in order to remove the self-imposed barriers between us and God. This is something we can only accomplish with God's help, which we ask for through prayer. As Martin Luther said, "To be a Christian without prayer is not more possible than to be alive without breathing."

Online Resources

Apps:

  • Lectio365 is a daily devotional resource that helps you pray the Bible everyday, with special focus on the rhythms of the church year, including Lent.

  • Pray As You Go offers brief daily sessions designed to cultivate prayer, using music, scripture, and reflections.

  • The BibleProject app is a Bible app that is simply designed and easily navigated.

  • Daily Office (available on iOS or Android) offers the Morning and Evening Prayer services for each day, right on your phone or device!

For Adults:

For Children:

For Youth & Young Adult:

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Fasting Resources

Fasting is a discipline of self-denial that is often part of Lenten devotions. This brings us closer to God. Jesus fasted in the desert as a means to focus on prayer, for example.   Fasting can be a means of shedding whatever is standing between you and God. In fact, sometimes Lenten fasting isn't always giving up something, but taking on a new discipline or behavior that brings you closer to God. Take a look at this list to see what calls to you this Lent! As you choose, think about what you could do that would help you grow closer to God. Adapt any of these to fit your family's health and ages.

Fasting Ideas

  • Fast from a few meals each week, and give the money that you would have spent to organizations working to help hungry people, like Open Door, Episcopal Relief & Development, or Bread for the World.

  • This one is courtesy of our former Rector’s Warden: try a 40 Bags in 40 Days challenge. Our Thrift Shop will be happy to accept your gently-used clothes and housewares, your house will feel less cluttered, and you may free yourself from the consumerism that dominates our culture.

  • Take the Food Stamp Challenge. Try to stick to the daily food stamp allowance that millions of American families rely on. The average daily amount is $4.20 a day per person.

  • Try a food-desert fast. There are many people who don't have access to grocery stores in their neighborhoods, which restricts their access to healthy, fresh foods. Consider living for a week on food from convenience stores!

  • Consider taking the extreme poverty fast, even for a few days. There are roughly a billion people in the world who live on less than $1.25 per day.

  • Try to fast from media. You could limit it to TV, social media, the internet, blogs, or all of the above--whatever takes too much of your attention away from God and your family.

  • Fast from people! Pare down social events and social media, and limit texting and emails. Jesus gives us this model of solitude during his time in the desert.

  • Consider fasting from money. Pay your bills and put food on the table, but hold back on all non-essential spending. The exercise of "want vs. need" might surprise you!

Adding On Ideas

  • Add reading to your daily routine. Find a devotional book (check out Forward Movement’s selection for ideas) or pick a book of the Bible. Spend this quiet time with God each day.

  • Build relationships this season. Cultivate a new relationship or mend a broken one.

  • Care for yourself. Commit to exercise and self-care. Take a spiritual retreat--a day, a half-day, or even an hour. Worship regularly! 

Lenten Worship at St. Peter's | 2025

Services will be onsite and online unless noted. Regular Sunday services continue at 8:00 and 10:00 am.

Wednesday, March 5: Ash Wednesday  Services at noon (spoken) and 7:30 pm (choral)

Sunday, April 13: Palm Sunday  Services at 8:00 am & 10:00 am

Thursday, April 17: Maundy Thursday Agape Reception at 6:30 pm, Service at 7:30 pm

Friday, April 18: Good Friday  Service at noon / Stations of the Cross at 7:30 pm

Saturday, April 19: Easter Vigil Service at 7:30 pm, followed by Reception in Crossroads

Sunday, April 20: Easter  Services at 8:00 am & 10:00 am