From Glory to Ashes to Glory

From hymn 135:

Manifest on mountain height, shining in resplendent light,
Where disciples filled with awe thy transfigured glory saw.
When from there thou leddest them steadfast to Jerusalem,
Cross and Easter Day attest God in man made manifest.

The church year builds in big contrasts in tone from now through Easter.  This Sunday is the Transfiguration, where Jesus is revealed in dazzling glory to Peter, James, and John.  Three days later we are confronted with ashes, a reminder of our mortal nature, from which no one is exempted.  Then a period of self-reflection, culminating with death and resurrection and a blessed hope for all.

The world is experiencing a year or more of stark contrasts:  life going along seemingly swimmingly, the big shock of everything shutting down, a winter of increased sadness and death, and then – a resurrection of sorts, thanks to scientists and the medical community using their God-given brains to get us out of this mess.

May we graft onto our current situation some of the truths we have learned in church.   “By those who truly listen, his voice is truly heard” (hymn 74).

Brad Norris
Minister of Music

Looking ahead to Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday

Dear friends,

Believe it or not, Lent is just around the corner.  Ash Wednesday is February 17, only a few weeks away.  The staff and I have been hard at work planning for the start of the Lenten season and how we can mark this important time in the Church year even in the midst of the pandemic.  I hope you will take part in our Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday offerings:

Shrove Tuesday:  donuts and beads to go!

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”), is the last day before Lent starts.  In days past, families would prepare for Lenten fasting by using up the last of the oils and fat in their houses, often by making pancakes.  At St. Andrew’s, we usually offer a festive pancake supper at the church on Shrove Tuesday.  In lieu of the pancake supper, this year we will be offering donuts and beads to go.  From 3 to 5 PM on Tuesday, February 16, we will be distributing donuts and Mardi Gras beads at the Main Street entrance to the church.  Please come by to say hello and to pick up your Mardi Gras treats.  We are inviting our Hilton neighbors to drop by, too. 

Ash Wednesday:  ashes coming your way; pick up communion in advance

Did you know that the imposition of ashes—the marking of the forehead with ashes—does not need to be done by a clergy person?  Because of the pandemic, we will be mailing a small package of ashes to each parish family so that you can mark yourselves and one another with ashes on Ash Wednesday.  I have already blessed those ashes using the prayer from the Ash Wednesday liturgy.  We will live stream our Ash Wednesday service at 11 AM on Ash Wednesday, February 17 and then post it on Facebook for those unable to attend the live virtual service.  As you participate in the service, either live at 11 or by watching later in the day, you can conduct the imposition of ashes at home.  The Ash Wednesday service includes Holy Eucharist.  You can pick up your communion kits for Ash Wednesday at the River Road door on Sunday, February 14 or make arrangements for another time by calling Bill Wilds on his cell phone (880-5460) by Tuesday, Feb 16.

Lenten calendar

John and I have once again purchased Lenten calendars as a gift for the congregation.  The calendar will be mailed to you along with the ashes for Ash Wednesday.  I hope you find it a helpful tool for your Lenten journey.

Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent are all going to look different this year because of Covid.  But God is still at work in our lives and in our world, inviting us as always to seek and find him in our midst.  I look forward to entering this next season of our Church year together, enjoying the silly fun of Mardi Gras and then taking the sobering yet life-giving plunge into Lent.  I am so grateful to be part of this community of faith with each of you.  May God bless our ongoing journey together, in this and every season. 

- Anne+

Giving Lent Its Proper Due!

So here is the first of my annual appeals to give Lent its proper due.  We usually think of Lent as kind of a gloomy penitential time when we're begrudgingly obligated to give something up that we like - chocolate or social media or martinis or whatever.  But consider: Lent is derived from a word meaning “springtime,” denoting new birth, restored life, a chance for a new start.  Just as Advent is not a season for its own sake, but a time of preparation for the joyous celebration of the nativity, neither is Lent a season set aside to make us feel bad about ourselves.  It is, rather, a time set aside for self-reflection in order to prepare ourselves for the seminal event in Christian history: an Easter celebration of the resurrection and all it means for us. 

Here's a novel idea to think about.  Instead of giving up something you like, how about giving up something that you don’t like, like self-absorption, lack of charity, refusal to forgive, or disdain for those who differ from you in some way, thereby giving Lent its proper due by ridding yourself of those things that hinder our relationship with God and one another.  Penitential?  Maybe.  Gloomy?  Not if our Lenten preparations culminate in a glorious Easter.

- Marc+