Readings
for this Sunday: 2 Kings 2:1-12, Psalm 50:1-6, 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, Mark 9:2-9.
Pre-Lent reminder: Please bring in your dried palms. There’s a collecting basket on the piano. We will burn them at the beginning of the evening Ash Wednesday liturgy.
On Ash Wednesday (this coming Wednesday, February 18th) we will have Morning Prayer at 9 AM, and two services of Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes, one at noon and the other at 7 PM. The evening service will begin with the burning of palms to create the ashes for the imposition of ashes.
Food for thought; encouragement to enter into a Holy Lent…
Lent 2015 at
Saint Andrew’s-in-the-Valley
Shrove Tuesday – Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 6 pm: Kick up your heals! Live
on the wild side! Put on a mask! Get a (temporary) tattoo! And indulge in
passage, sausage, applesauce, and maple syrup. Have some holy fun.
Ash Wednesday – Feb 18: Do yourself a favor. Press “pause” on your
busy life and come to church next Wednesday at noon or 7 pm to receive ashes.
Yes, that cross is a reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return, but
it’s also a reminder of the cross put on your forehead at Baptism – a sign that
you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever
– this side of the grave and the next!For centuries the church has invited her people to set this season apart for prayer, study, reflection, a journey that for most of us benefits from some communal support. I hope you will take time to consider which of our offerings might speak to you, and then step forward to participate. Check out the easel in the Parish Hall for sign-up lists and more details about these offerings.
◊ Subscribe by email to the daily offerings from the Brothers at the Society of St. John the Evangelist: It’s time to …Stop, Pray, Work, Play, & Love. [www.SSJE.org/time] The theme for this year’s teaching is ‘Time,’ We complain that it is flying by; we waste it; we seem totally unable to slow down; we stress about not having enough of it, or we’re bored to tears because we have too much of it. In short, our relationship with time is seriously disordered and out of whack! We have only one life to live here, so maybe it’s time to tackle the great give of time that god has given you. Each day in your email in-bin you will receive a brief reflection video, a word for the day, and a question relating to that word to ponder throughout the day. You might choose to do this as a personal commitment; you might choose to connect with others around the world who are also engaged in it by sharing your answers. If there is interest we create a parish email group and share responses with each other that way. It is completely adaptable to It is completely adaptable to your own schedule and time needs.
◊ We will resume our Wednesday evening "Simple Supper Series" gathering at 5:30, out by 7:00. Each week is self-contained, so come to one or more. We will not meet on March 11th. We will share a simple supper, eaten in silence while we listen to a reading that explores some aspect of spiritual formation and holy living in the context of our regular lives. That will be followed by open conversation reflecting on the passage. We will close with a simple table Eucharist.
◊ On Saturday, February 28 we will host a Quiet Day: "Keeping Lent with the Church's Hymnody: Song, Prayerful reflection, Conversation, and Silence," led by the Rev. Ellie McLaughlin. Bring a favorite Lenten hymn. We will gather at 9:00 in the Prince Room and close with a eucharist and a simple soup lunch. This mini-retreat is open to all, with an invitation extended to the other churches in the Lakes Region Convocation.
◊ On Saturday March 21, from 9 to 12:30, a similar invitation is extended to us by our friends at Trinity Church, Meredith, when they will host a Quiet Day to be by Maryan Davis.
There are numerous series of Daily Meditations available – some hard copy and some on line:
◊ Copies of 2015 Lenten Meditations, provided by Episcopal Relief & Development are available on the Parish Hall Table in front of the bulletin board. Help your self to a copy.
◊ Daily Lenten Meditations from the Episcopal Church of NH: Starting next week, daily Lenten meditations to the diocesan Facebook and Twitter accounts. Become a follower! Share these links with your friends and family. [Go to “Episcopal Church of NH”, not Diocese of NH.]
◊ Then there’s “Lent Madness,” a somewhat zany and engaging way to approach to deepening your knowledge of the greater and lesser saints and their lives! Picking up on college basketball and the playoffs called March Madness, a fun-loving, church-loving priest (who happens to be Davis and Andrea Dassori’s rector in Hingham) has put this together. Each day during Lent, two saints face off, and you get to vote for your favorite. At the end of the season, one saint is crowned with the Golden Halo. Dare to explore and give it a try!
Go to www.lentmadness.org
Blessings in this season of lengthening light.
See you in church!
Heidi+
