Coming Up:

Online book study begins on Feb.25 and will run Wednesdays, 7pm, through Lent, into the Easter season. The book is called To Love and Serve: Anglican Beliefs and Practices.

Lenten Lunches also begin on Wednesday, Feb.25, 12-1pm at Emmaus, SSM. They will be held at the same time, in the same place each Wednesday until (and including) Wed. March 25.

Lenten Prayer Study: 4-5pm on Thursday, March 5 in the Trinity Centre. What do wind tunnels and thriving churches have in common? Come find out…

$5 Monthly Meal!  Friday, March 6; 5pm take-out; 5:30pm eat-in; meatloaf and potatoes, vegetables, and dessert. You can reply to this email or call 705-254-1692 to order.

World Day of Prayer: There are various times and days for this. Most services will be held on Friday, March 6 in various locations. The one I’m involved with is on Saturday, March 7, 2pm at the United Baptist Church on Malabar in the Soo.

Emmaus has a special event planned for St. Patrick’s Day. Please see the poster at the end of this blog for more detail.

A Liturgical Note For You:   Are We Keeping a “First World” Lent? A Point to Ponder…

 I shared these thoughts in my sermon on the First Sunday in Lent because this is bothering me…Many people I know approach Lent as a time to give up something they like – chocolate, desserts in general, caffeine, and so on. That’s what I grew up believing to be the norm for Lent. It occurred to me that this is very “First World”.  But…Lent is not a first world thing, it is a whole world thing. What would a young, starving, orphan in Madagascar say to me if I told her I was giving up chocolate for Lent? How do Christians observe Lent when immersed in the horrific conflict and poverty cycles found in many other countries in our world and, to some degree, even in our own communities? I have, for many years now, taken on added study and devotions throughout Lent rather than just giving up something. This practice has led to my unfailing routine of praying Morning, Evening, and Night Prayers every day. This year, I’ve decided to add back into my days some walking or running (since the busier I get, the less I exercise). This still leaves me wondering how I, and other first world Christians, can transform our Lenten experience into something more than the first world experience it currently resembles. Perhaps taking on more work to address a justice issue that is a concern in our communities? I’ll be helping Algoma Angels serve supper to at least 100 people coming to St. Vincent Place tomorrow…There’s so much more that can be done. Maybe you could share with me what you and your church family are doing to draw closer to God and to reveal God’s kingdom throughout Lent and beyond.

For Your Devotions:   

An Important Note, in case you’re wondering: Sunday, March 1 – if it had been any day other than a Sunday – would have been the day we marked the memorial of the Patron Saint of Wales…David. His day is NOT observed this year – sorry, to any of his fans out there. Memorials and commemorations never, ever bump the Sunday feast of our Lord Jesus Christ (BAS p.15). You can acknowledge these people in the intercessions but everything else (propers and readings) must be those assigned for the Sunday. Since this is the season of Lent, even those churches named after David cannot celebrate his day on Sunday (McCausland’s p.31).

Monday, March 2nd is the commemoration of Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, Missionary, died 672. Chad is credited with having Christianized the English kingdom of Mercia but that almost didn’t happen…Chad was originally consecrated as the Bishop of York but, apparently someone else had been as well. Oops. The Archbishop of Canterbury charged Chad with improper ordination and Chad resigned. The Archbishop was impressed with Chad’s humility and made sure he was ordained as a bishop elsewhere…in Mercia. To read more… https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Chad

Tuesday, March 3rd is the commemoration of John and Charles Wesley, Priests and Evangelists, died 1791 and 1788.  John was the 15th and Charles the 18th (Wow!) child of Samuel Wesley. Samuel was an Anglican clergyman and his wife was a Puritan. You may think of John and Charles as belonging to a different denomination (Methodist) but they were both singularly loyal to the Church of England. They began a movement that strictly adhered to the worship and discipline (“method”) of the Prayer Book. They unnerved some conservative Anglicans with their conversion experiences, evangelical style, and ignoring of parish boundaries. We probably are all more familiar with Charles since we see his name pop up regularly as the author of many of our hymns…He wrote over 6000 hymns!  For more info:  https://standingcommissiononliturgyandmusic.org/2011/03/03/march-3-john-and-charles-wesley/

Saturday, March 7th is the memorial of Perpetua and her Companions, Martyrs at Carthage, 202. In a time when Christians were persecuted for their beliefs, they stood firm in their faith. I’ve read accounts of their deaths on a number of occasions and, each time I do, I feel humbled and amazed by their bravery and dignity and trust in God as they faced horrific deaths. One such account (much of it in Perpetua’s own words) is here:   http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/117.html

In the hope of Christ,

Susan