Lent

Since early days Christians have observed with great devotion the time of their Lord’s passion and resurrection and prepared for this with a season of penitence and fasting. We call this time of waiting Lent.

By carefully keeping these days, Christians take to heart the call to repentance and the assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the gospel, and so grow in faith and in devotion to our Lord.

It begins with Ash Wednesday on the sixth Wednesday before Easter. At our service we offer the Imposition of Ashes (on our foreheads). Ashes are an ancient sign of penitence; from the middle ages it became the custom to begin Lent by being marked in ash with the sign of the cross.

Churches are kept bare of flowers and decoration. Gloria in excelsis is not used. The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetareor Refreshment Sunday) was allowed as a day of relief from the rigour of Lent, and the Feast of the Annunciation almost always falls in Lent; these breaks from austerity are the background to the modern observance of Mothering Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.

As Holy Week approaches, the atmosphere of the season darkens; the readings begin to anticipate the story of Christ’s suffering and death, and the reading of the Passion Narrative gave to the Fifth Sunday its name of Passion Sunday. There are many devotional exercises which may be used in Lent and Holy Week outside the set liturgy. The Stations of the Cross, made popular in the West by the Franciscans after they were granted custody of the Christian sites in the Holy Land, are the best known.

Here are St George’s we prepare ourselves by holding a Lent course during the service in place of a sermon. This gives us an opportunity to think together how we can more fully follow Jesus and learn more about our own personal faith with others.
Our Lent course always follows a theme.

This year we are using the material Living Hope as a starting point. There are many ways to be involved.

In our services every Sunday morning beginning promptly at 10am. These booklets will be available for £2 in church.

There is an App to help you with your daily devotions or weekly videos on YouTube here.

We begin together with our Ash Wednesday service at 7.30pm. I look forward to welcoming you as we journey together towards Easter.
Blessings, Mtr Sarah