Dear Members and Friends of St. Paul’s,
As we enter into the season of Lent, we enter a time of contemplation and preparation for Holy Week and Easter. During this time, we return to the basics and we engage in intentional discipleship. At our Midweek Lenten Lunches, we’re spending time learning about the season of Lent and Lenten practices.
At our first lunch, we considered the question, “What is Lent?” We learned that Lent is a season of 40 days plus the Sundays (which are not part of Lent), and it concludes with the Easter Vigil. During this time, people have historically engaged in three types of practices: fasting, prayer and almsgiving.
In our world today, we may fast from food or a certain type of food, or we may fast from something else like social media or shopping. When we find ourselves craving these things that we’re fasting from, we are encouraged to pray for those that regularly go without those things, or for another situation that is on our heart. The point of fasting is to remind us that God is the only thing we can’t live without.
If we would like to deepen our prayer life, we may choose to take up a prayer practice during Lent. St. Paul’s offers midweek
Lenten Lunches with prayers and devotions and new this year we have Lenten Evening Prayer services as well! You may choose to participate in these ministries, or perhaps you’ll choose to spend time in prayer on your own at a certain time of day or in a certain way.
The third practice is almsgiving, which means acts of charity. Perhaps you’ll start volunteering at church or with a local outreach organization. Maybe you’ll take 40 days to give 40 items to Extended Hand or a food pantry of your choice. Maybe you’ll make a special offering to the church or a favorite charity. There are a whole host of ways to give of our time, talents, and possessions.
Lent has also been a time of catechesis, or religious instruction, often as people were preparing for Baptism. But, it can also be a time for anyone to deepen their faith through studying scripture, the Small Catechism, or other educational materials. It’s a great time to join a Bible Study, as scripture and faith are best understood in community. Another option is to check out the South Carolina Synod’s YouTube page. I found an excellent video series called “Lutheran F.A.Q.” that provides short videos on a variety of topics such as Lent, prayer, worship, questions, and the Commandments. I encourage you to take a look at what they have to offer.
Whether you choose to give something up for Lent, take up a practice of prayer or charity, or study your faith, I hope that you are able to engage with your faith more
deeply this season. And, as you do, I hope to see you in worship, too!
Peace,
Rev. Jessica Hahn