We will observe the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday service on February 17 at 7:00 PM on Zoom. The liturgy we share will be amended to emphasize the context we find ourselves in, with an option to place ashes on family member’s foreheads–or our own. The service will also feature music, prayers, a sermon, and the Litany of Penitence. Let us focus our prayers in these days as we remember that God’s presence surrounds us.
The Annual Parish Meeting of Grace Episcopal Church in its 193rd year was held on Wednesday, February 10 via Zoom. The annual report, a recording of the meeting, and a copy of the remarks made by Fr. Stuart, which includes vestry election results, can be found at the link below.
There will not be a service of Compline on Wednesday, February 17 due to the Ash Wednesday service.
One of the four focus points for the School for Christian Practice is “Practices of Prayer.” By claiming this, we affirm the essential place of prayer in our life as followers of Jesus. Prayer lies at the heart of who we are, yet how we understand prayer is varied, complex–and sometimes confusing. Cynthia and I think it would be beneficial to focus our attention on prayer during the Season of Lent this year, so we will offer a special Lenten sermon series beginning on Ash Wednesday. On that day and the following five Sundays in Lent, our sermons will all orbit around the questions of “What is prayer?” “How do you pray?” and “How do you become prayer?” How can we move from a transactional understanding of asking God for favors to a transformational posture that affirms the presence of God in all our lives? How are we challenged to be aware of what we mean when we say “I will pray for you?”
At the end of Lent, we will gather the six recordings of these sermons and compile them into a resource for the community for further study and reflection. In this way, Sunday sermons continue to serve as teaching tools for us all as we continue growing in our faith.
I think we would all agree that this past year has shown us many ways we can deepen our practice of faith. We have prayed for each other, and these compassionate thoughts and the graceful intentions have held us together as a community–even as we have all been held by the Holy Spirit who enlivens our entire life.
Fr. Stuart+
While we cannot make definite travel plans now, we are looking ahead and exploring the potential for a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, and Florence in 2022. On one hand, it will give us structure to save funds for our trip, but even more meaningfully, it will give us an orientation point as a community for a space of spiritual growth and community as we wonder what life will be like, perhaps, when we finally manage the dynamics of the pandemic. We can have something to look forward to. If you are interested, please write and let Stuart (email) and Cynthia (email) know. In your email, please indicate the times of the year that would be possible for you, for example: spring, summer, or fall, or only summer, or only spring and fall, etc. We will compile these and see where the most energy lies and then take next steps according to travel details.
This post highlights events and news of the parish. For full news, we invite you to subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter.