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 / February 14 / services at noon and 7:30 pm

From Jerusalem to Freehold: Telling the Holy Week Story

Our Holy Week liturgies come from the pilgrimages of Egeria, a 4th-century nun, to Jerusalem. Father Dirk will use photos and objects from his pilgrimage to these same sacred sites to give context to the services that mark the last days of Jesus’ ministry to his death and resurrection.

Each session will focus on one liturgy, and participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their meaning for our faith today as well as look at the different ways we can observe these liturgies at St. Peter’s, using the many options provided by the Book of Common Prayer.

Join us on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm: February 20, February 27, March 5, March 12, March 19, onsite or online.

Taizé Contemplative Prayer Service

Taizé is an ecumenical prayer community in Taizé, France. Using brief passages of scripture, simple meditative chants, and brief prayers, a Taizé service allows the soul to relax and be fed. Join us as St. Peter’s Choir leads us in our first full Taizé offering this Lent.

Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 pm.

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 The Poetry of Lent, a devotional booklet from salt+. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Oliver is widely celebrated as an accessible, insightful observer of the natural world, the life of faith, and the interplay between the two. Imagine a six-week journey with Oliver at your side, illuminating ancient passages of scripture; provoking bite-sized meditations on key Lenten themes; and pointing toward everyday faith practices.

(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 Events at St. Peter's | 2024

Services will be onsite and online unless noted.

Wednesday, February 14: Ash Wednesday  Services at noon (spoken) and 7:30 pm (choral)

Friday, March 1: Stations of the Cross Devotions at 7:30 pm (onsite)

Thursday, March 7: Taizé Prayer Contemplative service at 7:30 pm

Wednesday, March 13: Compline featuring Peter’s Rock On Facebook at 8:00 pm (online)

Friday, March 15: Stations of the Cross Devotions at 7:30 pm (onsite)

Sunday, March 24: Palm Sunday  Services at 8:00 am & 10:00 am

Thursday, March 28: Maundy Thursday Agape Reception at 6:30 pm, Service at 7:30 pm

Friday, March 29: Good Friday  Service at noon / Stations of the Cross at 7:30 pm

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

Sunday, March 31: Easter  Services at 8:00 am & 10:00 am