Lent 2024

THLent is a time of returning home. It is when we, as Christians, slow down, reflect, pray, and remove from our lives things that distract us from who we are, and pull us from our relationship with God. In places of worship, we return to simplicity and stillness. Our music is tempered and we do not sing the Gloria nor say or sing any Alleluias. Our flowers are removed and silver and gold chalices and patens that are normally used to hold the sacraments may be replaced with those made of more humble materials. All of this is to remind us of what is important. That what is in the cup, not what the cup is made of, should be the focus of our lives. That the journey to Jerusalem which we take in Lent is one that will change us and the world, and we need to have a chance to stop for a moment the craziness of our lives to enter into a fullness of relationship with one another and with God. It is a time of renewal, reflection, and return. As Barbara Brown Taylor once said, we have these “forty days to cleanse the system and open the eyes to what remains when all comfort is gone. Forty days to remember what it is like to live by the grace of God alone and not by what we can supply for ourselves.” And in some real sense, forty days to consider what tempts us. We are glad you have chosen to walk this journey of Lent here at Grace Episcopal Church.

Walk the Way of the Cross