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The Lenten Spring Is Our Season of Renewal

Lent is not a season for mourning; it is a season for renewal. Open yourselves to the new venues God has prepared for you, and with renewed commitment, ask Jesus to give you the courage to follow where he leads you.

Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Lent is not a season for mourning; it is a season for renewal.  Look at the land around you at this time of year.  It is resting under a blanket of snow, but just beneath the snow are powerful stirrings of life—renewed life—making ready to burst into a glorious and fruitful spring.  Indeed, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this season is known as the Lenten Spring.

Lent is a fallow season.  It is a time when we look inward to the state of our soul.  Even our souls need renewal, and the season of Lent calls us to introspection and self-examination so that we may see the work that needs to be done to make us again whole, complete and fruitful in our faith.  It is a season to open ourselves to the powerful, healing love of God through Christ Jesus.

Lent is a season to repent—literally to “turn around”—to see where we have been that we may better know where we are headed.  It is a season to turn to Jesus and offer up all that weighs us down: our grief, anger, isolation, self-pity, dissatisfaction, envy, un-forgiveness and resentment.  Jesus invites us to give him these burdens to bear so that we are freed to take on his burden—the burden of a discipleship filled with love, faith and hope.

Lent is a season for letting go, that is, of letting go of what stands between the way we have been going and the way Jesus bids us to go.  This Lent, start to let go of the concerns and burdens that we have taken upon ourselves.  Turn off the TV or get off the web for a little while, and in those quiet, fallow moments, think about what is truly important to you.  Think about where you have been going, and think about where you would like to be going. Then pray that the Spirit will guide you to new paths and new ways of living.

Look in your hearts and souls for those first stirrings of new life.  Then, nurture those stirrings and give them the time, space and food that new life needs to become vibrant, strong and fruitful.  Nourish your rested souls with the renewing waters of baptism and the life-giving food of the Lord’s Supper.  Be regular in prayer, and be regular in silence.  Open yourselves to the new venues God has prepared for you, and with renewed commitment, ask Jesus to give you the courage to follow where he leads you.

Then renewed, forgiven, healed, offer your very best to God in the glory of Eastertide.  Resurrect your spirit and your soul to new life in him who rose on Easter that we might live forever in his loving grace.  Set aside your old self and embrace the new life you have received through your baptism into Christ’s death and mighty resurrection.  Be reborn into the Baptismal Covenant and renew your promises to love and serve God as we love and serve others.  Let us go forth into the world in the power of the Spirit!

Almighty and everliving God, who in the Paschal Mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Book of Common Prayer, page 223

Zoom Coffee Hour Sundays at 11:30

You can be part of the fun again by joining us for our online Coffee Café using Zoom video conferencing.

  • Miss visiting with your friends after church?
  • Want to catch up on the news from your fellow parishioners?

Join us for our online Coffee Hour Sunday mornings at 11:30 using Zoom video conferencing.

Never used Zoom? No problem. Deacon Maureen can get you set up to join us. All you need is a computer, tablet, smart phone, or even an old fashioned telephone.

Click below to request an invitation to join us.

Email Link
Click to email Deacon Maureen

Outdoor Worship Begins July 5

“Lawn Chair Liturgies” in the Memorial Garden at St. Mary’s beginning at 9:30 on Sunday morning, July 5th, weather permitting.

At a recent meeting with clergy in charge of parishes, Bishop Loya gave us discretion to begin limited outdoor worship as of July 1. It is my intention to hold “Lawn Chair Liturgies” in the Memorial Garden at St. Mary’s beginning at 9:30 on Sunday morning, July 5th, weather permitting.

Our order of worship will be quite abbreviated, and there will be no celebration of the Holy Eucharist at this time. Worshipers will be expected to comply with all current disease transmission prevention guidelines including:

  • Stay home if you feel sick
  • Wear an appropriate face covering/face mask
  • Observe a minimum of six feet of physical distancing between household groups

We recommend you bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on — no chairs will be provided. Remember that the Memorial Garden lawn is a bit uneven and the grass may be quite wet from dew or overnight rain. Worship materials will be provided for one-time use each week.

For now, we will encourage everyone to depart immediately following the worship service. We may be able to stay for some form of a BYO coffee and fellowship time later in the summer if disease transmission levels continue to decrease.

The church building and Guild Hall remain closed pending authorization to reopen from Bishop Loya.

I have mixed feelings about gathering again, even outdoors. While I long to be together with all of you, I have an even greater longing to keep everyone safe and healthy. Most of us fall into the “at increased risk” category for Covid-19 infection. We are relying on you to follow our safety and health guidelines to protect yourself and others.

The danger of infection has not passed, and we must all be diligent in adhering to the disease transmission prevention guidelines. We may need to suspend outdoor worship if there is an increase in the Covid-19 infection rate in the future.

We know that some of you may choose to stay safe at home for a while longer, and we will continue to provide worship resources and pastoral support by email and telephone for the foreseeable future.

Stay safe, stay well, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!

Blessings,

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