Lent
Early Christians observed "a season of penitence and fasting" in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning "spring," the time of lengthening days) has a long history. Originally, in places where Pascha was celebrated on a Sunday, the Paschal feast followed a fast of up to two days. In the third century this fast was lengthened to six days. Eventually this fast became attached to, or overlapped, another fast of forty days, in imitation of Christ's fasting in the wilderness. The forty-day fast was especially important for converts to the faith who were preparing for baptism, and for those guilty of notorious sins who were being restored to the Christian assembly. In the western church the forty days of Lent extend from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, omitting Sundays. The last three days of Lent are the sacred Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Today Lent has reacquired its significance as the final preparation of adult candidates for baptism. Joining with them, all Christians are invited "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).
LENT AT CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER
- Ash Wednesday: Wednesday, February 26 - 7:00 am, 12:00 pm, 7:00 pm. Nave/Sanctuary
- Noonday Prayer: Mondays and Fridays - 12:00 pm. Chapel
- Morning Prayer: Tuesdays and Thursdays - 7:30 am. Chapel
- Holy Eucharist: Wednesdays - 6:00 pm. Chapel
- Sung Compline: Sundays, March 8, 22 & April 5 - 9:00 pm. Chapel
- Lenten Sunday Forum: Sundays - 11:15 am. Great Hall. "Telling the Truth About the Church and Race."
- Lenten Choral Evensong: Thursday, March 5 - 7:00 pm. Nave/Sanctuary
- Lenten Series: Wednesdays (March 4 - April 1) - 6:30 pm Potluck. 7:00 pm Program, "Learning the Truth About the Church and Race through the Sermons of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Also a variety of suggested devotions and Becoming Beloved Community recommended reading can be found in the Church of the Redeemer Library. Check out our online catalog using the Catalogs Lent and Becoming Beloved Community.
Practicing Lent - Fifth Week
Practicing Lent: Fourth Week
Practicing Lent - Third Week
Practicing Lent - Second Week
