Embracing Change, Growing in Grace

To the People of God,

There is a lot going on . . . both in our ministries of the church as we reach beyond the doors and on the property of Holy Cross. And…now the Season of Lent is upon us! The Lenten season is a season of introspection and change. Likewise, there will be some changes that will be taking place at Holy Cross too.

New this Lenten season, various faith leaders from the Wilmington area will present information about their tradition series called World Religions. The dates are: Tuesdays 3/11, 3/18 and 3/25 at 6:30 pm. The faith traditions to be discussed are Greek Orthodoxy using suggested videos (3/11); Buddhism (3/18), and Judaism (3/25).

In place of the Sunday lectionary discussion that typically takes place, during Lent Michael Cobb and I will be leading a series of topics unrelated to the Sunday Lectionary Readings. (see article in this Holy Crossings)

St. Andrews by the Sea will be presenting a Poetry workshop titled Poetry and Silence: A Restorative Retreat. on March 15th at 10 am. Registration is required so please consider attending that program too.

Change is coming to our worship service too. The Song of Praise will switch from the Gloria to Kyrie (BCP, p. 356) and we will say the Traditional Lord’s Prayer. The most significant change will be the Prayers of the People. Rather than using a form designed for the penitentiary nature of this season, we will use the more spontaneous Prayers of the People form on page 359 in the BCP. A slide of this form will appear on the screen and the congregation will be encouraged to pray aloud prayers of petitions and prayers of thanksgiving.

As a reminder, Stations of the Cross will take place on Wednesdays (3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2 and 4/9) at 12:00 pm until Holy Week. If the weather is great, participants can walk the St. Francis Way. Praying the Stations will be available in the sanctuary too. I invite you to walk the stations as you feel led. A self-guided booklet is available.

As I said at the beginning of this entry… there is a lot going on in our parish. In the days ahead, reflect on how you might want to spend this season of Lent. A time of reflection. A time of letting go. Or meditate on this quote by Brother Woodrum, SSJE, to aid you in having a holy Lent.

“Bring forward something within you that you know does not reflect the qualities of Jesus. Offer this to God. As you begin your Lenten journey tomorrow, aim to 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’”

Blessings, Rev. Anne