Parish Newsletter

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Jesus said, “Come unto me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will refresh you.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”                                                            –Matthew 11:28-30

 

The Refreshing Burden of Lent

A large part of this is taken from a similar Lenten article that I wrote for “The Voice” two years ago, which many of you asked me to repeat again.  So here it is, slightly altered for 2012.

The Rev. Amanda K. Gott

         “Refreshing” is not usually the first word that comes to mind when we think of Lent.  We are quick to think of Lent as a time to be miserable, to give up things that we enjoy and feel bad about ourselves for being such horrible sinners.  But such an understanding of Lent is terribly out of balance.  I want to take a closer look at this season and its meaning, and explore some possibilities for walking through Lent in a way that is not dreadful, but is holy, meaningful and – I dare say – refreshing.

The first and foremost question of Lent is NOT “what am I going to give up.”  Rather, the guiding question to ask ourselves as Lent draws near is “How can I draw closer to Christ?”  The Scripture passage above uses the image of taking on Christ’s yoke.  A yoke has the connotation of burden, perhaps even restraint.  A yoke is used to hitch two oxen to a cart or plow.  When two oxen are yoked together, they must walk and move together, in synchronized relationship and responsiveness to one another.  But what about Christ’s yoke?  To take on Christ’s yoke means to walk and move with Christ, to be close to Christ, connected with Christ and responsive to him in all that we do.  This Scripture passage describes being yoked with Christ as “refreshing,” “light,” “easy,” and “gentle.”  This is not about being weighed down with something heavy and oppressive.  When we take on Christ’s yoke, Christ does most of the hard work – the bearing of the burden – for us.  All we have to do is walk and move in close, responsive relationship with him.  Taking on this refreshing burden, this easy yoke, is the point of Lent.  Lent is a time to find peaceful rest for your soul by drawing closer to Christ, becoming re-connected with Christ.

While it is an ancient practice for Christians to “give something up” for Lent – to “fast” from something which may be a type of food, a habit, or something else – the purpose of this practice is NOT to eliminate all enjoyment and fun from Lent, reducing the season to a grueling drudgery that we have to trudge through.  Rather, the purpose of fasting is to hone our attention and draw our focus to what is really important in life. Sometimes, in order to focus on what is important, we have to give up things that distract us or make us too busy, hurried, or anxious to be attentive. During Lent, we are called to give intentional care to our relationships with God and others, to make note of how those relationships are amiss, and take concrete steps to amend our lives so that we are living more in accordance with God’s loving way. Fasting, or “giving something up,” can be an important part of these steps, if the thing (or habit) that you give up is chosen carefully and prayerfully, with the purpose of bringing you closer to Christ.

Often, it is more helpful to think of “taking something on” for Lent, like a yoke, rather than giving something up.  Many people take on a new prayer discipline, such as praying the Daily Offices (or even just one of the Daily Offices, if this is not already a part of your prayer practice), practicing silent prayer or meditation every day, or doing spiritual reading each day. Some people meditate on Scripture passages each day.  Some pray the Psalms. The Psalms were Jesus’ prayer book, and there are 150 of these ancient poems of prayer.  Pray four Psalms a day, every day of Lent, and you will have covered just about every imaginable human emotion in your prayers, and you will have prayed all of the Psalms by Holy Week. (A little hint – Sundays don’t count, and Psalm 119 gets a day to itself because it’s really long.) Taking on a new practice of prayer is a great way to attend to our relationship with God during Lent, and to draw closer to Christ.  Lent is the ideal time to deepen our spirituality and make prayer a primary part of our daily lives. (See “Possible Prayer Disciplines for Lent” on page 6.)

Many people take on a ritual that involves spending time with family and/or friends.  Is it possible to set aside some un-hurried time to give your un-divided attention to the people who are most important in your life?  What would it be like to set aside a certain number of days or evenings each week to spend time with the people you love?  Or to “give up” electronic media such as TV, internet, and cell phones for one or two evenings a week and spend that time doing something else?  How about writing – on paper – two letters each week to friends that you miss and wish you could spend more time with?  These are all wonderful practices to “take on” during Lent.

Another ancient and important Lenten practice is helping the poor.  It can be very meaningful during Lent to give up something non-essential that you spend money on.  Really, we all spend A LOT of money on A LOT of non-essential things.  Calculate how much money you saved by giving that thing up during Lent.  If you are honest with yourself about this, you might be very surprised by how much you DON’T need to buy, and how much money you save in even that short period of time.  At the end of Lent, donate that money to a charity.  Again, in this Lenten practice, the purpose is not to be miserable because you are deprived.  The purpose is to simplify, re-gain perspective on what is essential and what is not, and to practice Christian stewardship by giving money to a worthy cause.

Whatever practice or discipline you undertake during the season of Lent, keep in mind that the purpose is to deepen your relationship with God, renewing your spiritual life and your love of Christ.  If all you can think about is how you can’t wait until this miserable, un-fun season of Lent is over, then you are probably approaching Lent in a way that is out of balance and is not fulfilling this purpose.  On the other hand, if you are able to simplify, cut down on hurry and anxiety, and focus on the relationships that are most important to you – first and foremost, your relationship with God through prayer – so that you can become a better love-er of God and neighbor, then you are truly having a holy Lent.  “Take it on” this season.  Find out what a refreshing burden Christ’s yoke can be by drawing closer to him this Lent.  And remember – in the end, when it’s all said and done and sorted out, it is Christ who does the “heavy lifting,” who bears the burden for us.  Can you feel a weight coming off your shoulders?

 

Meet the new Music Director

Dr. Kevin Mack

Kevin begins at Grace & St. Peter’s on March 18.

For over thirty years, Dr. Kevin Mack has served the musical community as a conductor, singer, and player of historical keyboard and woodwind instruments.  A native San Franciscan, Kevin is badly over-educated, earning degrees in Conducting, Vocal Performance and English-Philosophy from University of the Pacific, Yale University, the Juilliard School, and the Hartt School.  Fluency with the Episcopal Church, its rites and the inspirational role of choral service music has been part of Kevin’s life since he attended an Episcopal boarding school in California and later served two Episcopal Churches as Minister of Music.

Besides the Manchester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale, Kevin presently conducts the Connecticut Restoration Orchestra, an ensemble of period instruments.  Additionally, he is Music Director of the Pratt & Whitney United Chorus, Congregation Mishkan Israel and the Connecticut Z’mirah Chorale.  For several years, Kevin taught chorus and assorted music classes at six Connecticut colleges and at two public high schools in New Haven.  In his spare time, Kevin serves as President of the Association of Connecticut Choruses.  He also leads religious services at Whitney Center.

Kevin is passionate about the other arts and their historical context in world cultures.  He has succumbed to collecting art and films, musical instruments and sheet music, recordings and antiques; there is precious little space left at his residence of twenty-two years in North Haven.  He and spouse Mary Ellen enjoy world cuisine, and are delighted with the diversity in our area.

 

Tuesday evenings in Lent

February 28, March 6, 13, 20 and 27

Beginning at 6:30 PM with supper

 “Dangerous Journey”

This will be based on a video retelling of the spiritual classic Pilgrim’s Progress.  Each evening will include two fifteen-minute video episodes, followed by conversation, singing and prayer.  We hope to connect the story to Scripture, worship and our own spiritual journeys.  There will also be some opportunities for simple art response.  The program is suitable for adults and older children (10 and up).  For more information, contact Gretchen Pritchard at 203-624-2520 or sundaypaper@snet.net.

 

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper

Tuesday, February 21, 6:00 – 7:30  p.m.  This fun event of yummy food and good fellowship is being hosted by the Girls’ Friendly Society.  There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.  All are welcome, whether you sign-up or not, but signing up beforehand helps us to know how many people to expect and prepare food for.

 

Ash Wednesday – February 22

Services are at 12:00 Noon and 7:00 PM

 Possible Prayer Disciplines for Lent (or Forever)

Rather than “giving something up” for Lent, what would it be like to “take something on,” like a discipline of daily prayer?

 

Here are some possibilities to consider:

 

• Praying one or more of the Daily Offices each day. 

-       Morning Prayer  (BCP p. 37, Rite I;  BCP p. 75, Rite II)

-       Noonday Prayer  (BCP p. 103)

-       Evening Prayer  (BCP p. 61, Rite I;   BCP p. 115, Rite II)

-       Compline  (BCP p. 127)

 

• Reading the appointed Scripture readings or Psalms each day.

 

• Praying with a shorter piece of Scripture, or part of a Psalm

-       This can be a segment of one of the appointed readings, or something else that you pick.  It can be the same piece of Scripture all Lent, or for each week (perhaps something from the Sunday readings), or something different each day.

 

• Memorize a short piece of Scripture and use it to meditate daily throughout Lent.

 

• Silent prayer or meditation every day.

 

• Other spiritual or devotional reading, such as “Forward Day by Day” or one of the other innumerable Lenten devotional books you can find on-line or in stores.  (For the Episcopal Church’s own Church Publishing, Inc., go to www.churchpublishing.org and move your mouse to the top tab that says “Books.”  A drop-down menu will appear.  Click on “Seasons of the Church Year” to find Lenten spiritual/devotional reading.)

 

If you have questions about any of these suggestions, or need more help in choosing a Lenten discipline, feel free to contact Reverend Amanda at 203-248-4338 or  RectorGASP@gmail.com.

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Saturday Evening Worship Service

 

Every Saturday Evening at 5:00 PM.

This is a short (about 40 minutes long), simple and yet fun service of Holy Eucharist for people of all ages.  It is for small children, not-so-small children, and grown-ups to worship together.  Come and check it out – especially if Sunday morning worship is hard for you to get to!

 

Meet the new Office Administrator

Louisa McLeish recently began as our new Office Administrator.  Louisa tackled her new job with grace and enthusiasm, despite the frustrations of trying to work with a dying copy machine (which has now been replaced).  Louisa lives in Meriden with her husband and children, and states that her love of music has rubbed off on her children such that on any given evening, their home is full of loud music – rock, R & B and reggae.

 

Mark your calendars now!

 

Palm/Passion Sunday – April 1

Holy Week – April 1 – 7

 

There is a worship service at Grace & St. Peter’s every evening during Holy Week, concluding with the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night, April 7. You are strongly encouraged to set aside the necessary time to attend as many of these services as possible, in order to make your Easter more meaningful.

 

Easter Sunday – April 8

Pentecost – May 27

 

Dinner for a Dollar

We serve a wholesome meal every Friday night

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

 

All are welcome.  Suggested donation $1, but no one is turned away.

 

We are being honored with the presence of MANY guests – meaning people who are not Grace & St. Peter’s parishioners – each Friday night.  This ministry is going strong, and filling an important place in many people’s lives.  Some people come for the delicious food.  Some come for the companionship.  Some come for both.  Whatever reason draws people here on Friday nights, we are showing, concretely, what Christ’s love looks like, and we are extending that love beyond our walls to the larger community.

 

THANK YOU to everyone in the congregation who has supported and helped, in so many ways, with this ministry!  Since this is a continuous ministry, it needs continuous energy and support.  In whatever way you can help, your presence is appreciated and needed.  We encourage you to come and be a part of it!  You can help serve and help with clean-up (this is quick and easy) or you can come and simply sit with a guest and enjoy the food together, to offer warm hospitality with the warm, yummy meal.  If you are thinking about cooking for “Dinner for a Dollar,” then take the word of those who have already done it – it is easy and lots of fun!  Please contact Allison Batson at allycat379@aim.com or 203-691-5501 if you would like to be a part of this wonderful, growing ministry!

 

Hamden Food Bank

Every Sunday, we collect non-perishable food items at Church for donation to the Hamden Food Bank.  All non-perishable foods are gratefully accepted, but we have organized a “food of the month” to make it easier for you to donate.  We have talked to the staff at the food bank to find out which foods to emphasize.  This way, you don’t have to think or worry about what to donate.  Simply add the “food of the month” to your grocery shopping list and bring it in on Sundays.  We take care of transporting it to the Food Bank.    February’s Food of the Month:  Beans (any kind except black beans)

 

Helping Children to Participate in Lent

 

For all Christians, especially Children, Lent can seem heavy and gloomy.  For many of us growing up, Lent meant “giving something up” – candy, perhaps.  However, simply giving up something for Lent, just for the sake of “going without,” can miss the point of Lent entirely.  The point of Lent is not to be miserable; it is to be renewed in our life as Christians.  To concentrate just on “giving something up,” without the context of a spirituality that children can enter into, can leave children dreading Lent more than looking forward to it as a season of grace, and will certainly not help children to understand Lent or Easter.  Rather than imposing seemingly arbitrary and meaningless restrictions, Lent is a time to be deliberate about including children in the spiritual practices that draw Christians closer to Christ.

 

The first and most important thing that adults can do to help children participate in Lent is to role-model.  We need to make it a point to understand the spirituality of Lent and enter into it ourselves with real devotion and joy.  If Lent makes its way into our home and into our conversations and practices that children can see, they will naturally grow up in a culture that embraces Lent as a season of grace.  Secondly, talk about Lent with your children.  Even hold a “family meeting” to decide what you will all do together as a family to participate in Lent.  Including children in this decision-making process is really important, because it changes the experience of Lent from being about arbitrary restrictions to being about spiritual practices that they can make choices about and participate in.  Remember, the point of Lenten disciplines is NOT to be gloomy and miserable; rather, it is to do a few things differently so that we are more intentionally focused on our relationships with Christ and one another.

 

Lenten Practices for the Home:

It is not necessary that you do all of these things. Pick the ones that will be meaningful for your family.

• Turn off the TV and Internet one night a week and play family games, or do some other fun activity together as a family.
• Add a new prayer time – something short and simple – to the family’s daily routine.
• Plan to eat at least one simple meal each week, perhaps a soup supper or a rice-and-beans meal.  An emphasis on simplicity is customary during Lent both to reflect Gospel values and to be in solidarity with those who are living in poverty.  Eating simply is also a practice of good stewardship – stewardship of your money and the environment in which our food grows.  Put the money you save in a box, jar, or piggy bank to donate to a charity of the family’s choosing after Lent.
• Cut down on shopping, both in stores and on-line.  Concentrate on buying only essential things, like food that you need.  Before you go shopping for anything else, ask yourself, “Do I really need this, and do I really need it now?”  Again, put the money you save in the donation box/jar to give to a charity after Lent.
• Help children decide on one small thing to give up (to “fast” from, even though it may not be food) to help them focus on the purpose of Lent.  Help them choose something realistic, that they may actually be able to accomplish with success.  It is important that children choose their own thing to “fast” from, rather than have it “imposed” on them.
• Each week let each person draw (as in, from a hat without looking) the name of someone else in the family to do something special and nice for.  That “something nice” can be as simple as giving someone a hug, making something special for them, or helping with a chore.

 

Lenten Symbols in the Home:

• Practice the ancient custom of “putting away” something for Lent and taking it out again with great joy on Easter Sunday.  You could put away a particularly decorative household item, or your family could make an “Alleluia” banner to put away until Easter Sunday.
• Create a Lenten “Prayer Corner” or area in the home, located somewhere central and obvious.  If there is not a lot of space, the center of the table where you all eat will work really well.  You can use some or all of these things to symbolize Lent: A purple cloth underlay, a Bible, an empty bowl to symbolize fasting, your donation box/jar for money for the poor or a charitable cause, a simple cross.
• Find the symbols of your child’s baptism – her/his christening gown, the candle, the certificate, or pictures of the baptism.  Lent is a time of being renewed in our baptismal life, so tell your children about their baptism if they were too young to remember it.  Go over the Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer together and talk about what it means.