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The Episcopal Church of St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene
17 Fitzhugh St S
Rochester NY 14614
phone: (585) 546-7730
fax: (585) 546-7733
  

St. Luke & St. Simon Cyrene - FaithStreet

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  • Michael Hopkins
    February 9, 2013
Worship‎ > ‎

Resources for Lent

Lent is the 40 day period of preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Maundy Thursday.  Lent began as the final period of preparation for those being baptized at Easter.  In a sense it still is.  What we are offered the opportunity to do during Lent is to rediscover and deepen the reality of our own baptism in which we are "buried with Christ in his death...[and] share in his resurrection," and "sealed by the Holy Spirit...and marked as Christ's own for ever."  In other words, we struggle with what it means do be a beloved daughter or son of God, by no merit of our own, but just because God loves us.

Acts of penitence, fasting, alms giving, self-denial and other forms of devotion are traditional during this season.  All of these things usually are summed up by the question, "What am I giving up for Lent?"  Giving something up, or taking something on, can be very good things as long as they help us rediscover our belovedness.  They are not helpful if we think of them as somehow earning God's favor.  You cannot earn something that you already have.  What we need to learn is how to live in God's favor.

Below are some resources you might find useful.  Also see the "Daily Prayer Resources" under the main menu on the home page.

At Two Saints & St. Stephen's, in addition to the Sunday Eucharist you will find:
  • The Living Compass Program (see home page)
  • Eucharist on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:05 pm in St. Simon's Chapel
  • Stations of the Cross, available to be prayed 10 am - 2 pm Tuesday through Friday in the Church or at any other time the building is open.  This year's stations are by Charles S. Ndege.  The originals are in St. Joseph Mukasa Church in Mwanza, Tanzania.
  • Weekly home worship & reflection resources (available at church and on our facebook page.
  • Wednesday Bible Study, 6-7 pm in the Parish Hall.
  • Mindfulness Meditation on Tuesdays at 7 pm at St. Stephen's.
  • Episcopal Relief & Development Lent Collection (Envelopes and Mite boxes on the Resource Table at church.
Some on-line resources:
  • Episcopal Relief and Development:  you can sign up to receive their daily meditations for Lent here.
  • Ship of Fools has creative ideas for Lenten disciplines.
  • Traditional Stations of the Cross from Old St.Paul's Scottish Episcopal Church, Edinburgh
  • There are many, many resources for Lent on TextWeek.com and Beliefnet.

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