40 days of self-discovery. 40 days of self-reflection.
40 days reconnecting with what we have lost.
​40 days finding God again.
​Live Life. Love Lent.

Lent is the season that leads up to the most holy and sacred time of the Christian year: the Paschal Triduum, or the great three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, culminating in the Great Vigil of the Resurrection. Lent leads us through the desert to the cross, and from the cross to Easter. 

From ancient times, Christians have prepared for Easter with a season of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. These spiritual disciplines help to strip away all the little things that get in the way of our relationship with God. It's not about punishing ourselves. We're quite capable of being hard on ourselves all the time, as we are confronted daily with our shortcomings and failures. Rather, Lent gives us an opportunity to simplify, to focus, and to reconnect to the beauty and delight that we find in God.

Rising to the Challenge
Lent is like a spiritual workout session, setting goals for ourselves that help us to rise to the challenge of living as disciples of Jesus Christ. Fasting helps us to gain control over our appetites, and to discern what our bodies really need from what they simply want. If we start to notice our cravings for fast food or potato chips, and instead of blindly giving in we stop and think, "Do I need this?", then we grow stronger, more self-controlled as people. It helps us to be more aware of our bodies and our willpower, and ultimately it can help in our struggle against all sorts of sin.

Special Services of Lent and Holy Week
The season is marked with special services and liturgies, beginning with Ash Wednesday and concluding with the Paschal Triduum. The liturgies are listed here. As Lent unfolds, click the link provided to learn more about the services.

  • Ash Wednesday.  We learn how and why God formed us, created us from dust and the breath of the Spirit. At the end of this service, we leave the church marked with the sign of the cross, ready to begin our holy season of Lent.
  • Palm Sunday - Recounts Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then turns towards the Crucifixion. Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week.
  • Maundy Thursday - This service in the evening recounts the Last Supper, which was the first Eucharist. We remember Christ's eternal promise to sustain his followers in sacred meal, and we wash each other's feet as a sign of service and love. 
  • Good Friday -  The liturgy today honors Christ's crucifixion, his courage to live the truth even to death. We hear St. John's passion gospel, offer special prayers on behalf of the whole world, and honor the holy and life-giving cross.
  • Holy Saturday - At noon, a short liturgy recalls Jesus Christ's descent among the dead to bring liberation to the souls there. The church is hushed and quiet on the day when Christ was in the tomb.
  • The Great Vigil of the Resurrection - At night, the church gathers to hear the stories of salvation from the Hebrew Scriptures. At the appointed time, the Resurrection is proclaimed and we rejoice with the first Eucharist of Easter. This is the highlight of the whole year, and if you haven't come to the Vigil before, you must join us!
  • Easter Sunday - Lots more people come to church this day, but in a sense, it's "just another Sunday," which means that, like every Sunday, it's a celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. But really, if you want the full experience, come to as many of these liturgies as you can.

Lent & Holy Week 2017

Ash Wednesday, March. Services at:
  • 8 am at the Church - Ash Wednesday service with readings, prayers, and imposition of ashes
  • 10 am at Bella Vista
  • 1:30 pm at Evergreen
  • 5:30 pm  - Evening Prayer in the Chapel
  • 6 pm at the Church - Ash Wednesday Holy Eucharist

Holy Week
Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, April 9
  • 8am - Morning Prayer
  • 10am - The Blessing of the Palms and procession, followed by the Holy Eucharist with the Passion Gospel of St. Matthew
Maundy Thursday, April 13
  • 8pm - Evening mass of the Lord's Supper with washing of feet, followed by stripping of the altar
Good Friday, April 14
  • ​Noon - Good Friday liturgy with veneration of the cross
Holy Saturday, April 15
  • Noon - noonday office of Holy Saturday
The Great Vigil of Easter,  April 15
  • 8pm - Great Paschal Vigil with the first Eucharist of the Resurrection
Easter Sunday, April 16
  • 10am - Holy Eucharist for the Sunday of Easter
​Photo By Bureau of Land Management (Black Rock Desert Wilderness) [CC BY 2.0 or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons