Lent
Fasting | Prayer | Almsgiving
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a time of penitence, fasting, and prayer, in preparation for the great feast of the resurrection (which we celebrate on Easter Sunday).
The season of Lent began in the early days of the Church as a time of preparation for those seeking to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. The forty days refer to our Lord’s time of fasting in the wilderness; and since Sundays are never fast days, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten Fast. (Source: Book of Common Prayer, 2019)
Read this article from Anglican Compass to learn more about why we, as Anglicans, continue to practice and honor Lent today.
Participate in Lent
Lenten Soup Suppers | Various dates/times in March | Sign Up
Our Soup Suppers this year will be hosted in homes of Cross members. These Suppers provide a chance to get to know and be with others from Cross, while enjoying a simple, tasty, meal together. Each gathering will end with a brief prayer liturgy. The Suppers are offered in varied locations and dates to help everyone find a place to join in. Sign up online to attend one Soup Supper; the hosts will provide the soup, but will be in contact with you for help with other needs.
MONDAY: MAR 10 | 5:30-7pm | Eden Prarie
THURSDAY: MAR 13 | 6-7:30pm | Hopkins
WEDNESDAY: MAR 19 | 6-7:30pm | Excelsior
SATURDAY: MAR 22 | 5:30-7pm | Chaska
MONDAY: MAR 24 | 6-7:30pm | Fridley
THURSDAY: MAR 27 | 6-7:30pm | Eden Prarie
FRIDAY: MAR 28 | 6-7:30pm | Minneapolis
SUNDAY: MAR 30 | 6-7:30pm | Hopkins
FMSC Food Packing Event | SATURDAY: MARCH 15, 2:30-4:15pm | Sign Up*
Join us in service at Feed My Starving Children during Lent! This is a fun way to serve together and grow in community with others from Cross. Everyone at Cross is welcome to join us. Children need to be at least 5 years old.
* if you need a code during the signup process, it is MGZ6KX
Morning Retreat - Practicing God’s Presence | SATURDAY: MARCH 29, 8:30am-12:30pm | Sign Up
Adults are invited to join this refreshing morning retreat hosted by Joel Warne, our ministry partner at WellSpring Life Resources. The pressures of life push and pull us, obscuring life’s most central transforming reality—I am God’s home—Christ living in, around, and with me every moment. In this retreat, we mine the simple, profound witness of a 17th-century lay brother, Brother Lawrence, who offers a way for us to live, serve, and love from a place of anchored presence and well-being in Jesus. The retreat costs $10 per person, and scholarships are available if cost is prohibitive. Please sign up online to join the retreat.
A Time Set Apart | WEDNESDAY: APRIL 2, 7-8pm
Spend an evening this Lenten season in to engage in Prayer. This service, offered by the prayer ministry team, is a way you can intentionally set aside time for the Holy Spirit to minister. It’s a quiet evening of worship, teaching, prayer, and communion led by Deacon Cheryl. Let’s join in this Lenten season, preparing our hearts for the celebration of Easter Sunday.
Listening Session | SATURDAY: APRIL 5, 9am-11:30am | Sign Up
Lent is a perfect time of year to contemplate Christ's life and His goodness to us. One of the ways we can do that is through the arts. Join Deacon Joel as he hosts a listening session in which we will listen to the entire work of Messiah by George Frederic Handel. The work runs 2 hours and 30 minutes, and we will meet in the church library to listen to this work. You’re welcome to come and go as you’re able. Lyric sheets and light refreshments will be provided. Please sign up if you are interested in attending all or part of this event.
Good Friday Offering | FRIDAY: APRIL 18
Each year, Church of the Cross designates a Good Friday offering during Lent as we look toward Easter. This offering is a special one taken on and around Good Friday as a way of giving particular support to one mission or cause close to our hearts. This year, our Good Friday offering will go to Steve and Jodi Swanson and their non-governmental organization, Institute for Child Healthcare Africa (ICHA). Steve and Jodi have lived in Arusha, Tanzania, for nearly 12 years. Their work focuses on developing low-tech, low-cost solutions for the care of critically ill and premature infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and clinical care of pediatric patients and children with severe malnutrition. Importantly, they are also focused on training African doctors and nurses in neonatology/pediatric best practices and improving hospital systems across Africa. Steve and Jodi are long-time members at Church of the Cross, and we are privileged to partner with them in this important work.
“[Lent] is more than just an exercise in self-disciplined stoicism with the added benefit of cutting back on calories or caffeine; we have the opportunity to commune more deeply with God and to follow the church’s traditional focus on almsgiving with our resources and lives.”
Recommended Resources for Lent
Prayer Guide
We compiled a Visio Divina Booklet for you and your family, containing a contemplation of spiritual practices in the gospels and correlating artwork. The booklet is engaging for all ages. You can get a paper copy from the Gathering Space or download a digital copy. Download your copy.
Spiritual Practices
Since we read Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer, check out his podcast called “Rule of Life” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. He features a few episodes for each Spiritual Practice and has more on the way.
Fasting
Scripture
Audio - Examen Prayer
From Pray As You Go’s website: At the end of the day, this prayer of review is a short reflection back over the day, recalling events and taking note of your feelings. The purpose is to become more aware of the ways in which God has been present to you, the times when the Holy Spirit was drawing you towards life.
Lenten Soup Recipies
This is exactly what it says. Here’s a booklet with some of our church’s greatest soup recipes you can make at home this season. Download your copy.
