Lenten Meditation Booklet 2021

M E D I TAT I O N S FOR LENT

2021

ALTAR INSTRUCTIONS PL AC E P U R P L E C LOT H IN A CEN T R AL LO CAT IO N IN YO U R H OUSE. PL AC E A CA N D LE IN TH E CEN T ER OF YO U R C LOT H .

A S YO U R E A D TH R O U G H T H E D EVOTIO N S E AC H W E EK G AT H ER A RO U N D TH E C LOT H AN D L IG H T T H E CA N D LE .

PL AC E ITE M S F R O M TH E DEVOT ION O N T H E C LOT H A S A R EM IN DER O F O U R B A PT IS M A L COVEN AN T T H RO U G H O U T LE N T. T H RO U G H O U T LE N T PL EASE SEN D PI CT U R E S O F YO U R AT- H OM E ALTAR S TO I NF O @ S A I N T M I CH AEL . O RG. RG .

ASH WEDNESDAY

FEB 17

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The season of Lent will be a different experience this year than it has ever been. It is our sincere hope that wherever you are, you can remain connected to the community of faith we share at Saint Michael. Our church is wherever we are, and this year, we invite you to form a sacred, holy space in your home.

In this package, you will find a purple cloth, representing the sacrifice of Christ, and reminding us of our own life’s call to sacrificial love. We invite you to place this purple cloth in a special spot in your home and use it to build a home altar.

Each week of Lent, this meditation book will guide you in the creation of your home altar, locating and collecting items from your home to represent our sacred journey. Setting up a home altar can be easy, so do not be afraid! This home altar will be a reminder of your connection to, and faith in, our Saint Michael community, and we hope it will remind you just how much you are loved.

May this season be a gift to you, and may our faithfulness grow in the One who created us, who redeemed us, and who sustains us.

Prayer over your home altar cloth: Blessed are you, O Lord our God. Your gifts are many, and in wisdom you have made all things to give you glory. Be with us now and bless us as we dedicate our use of this space to your praise and honor. As often as we worship you here, precede us and abide with us. Give us joy in all your works, and grant that this space may be an inspiration to us as we seek to do what is your will for us and to glorify your name; through Jesus Christ our Savior, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT CHRIS GIRATA

FEB 21

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?

This first week of Lent is all about the community of faith. In the first century, students of Jesus, the people we call apostles, traveled throughout Israel and into the wider world telling the Gospel story.

As they went, communities formed where people would learn together, pray together, and share life together.

Faith communities—these house churches—became the root of individual faith, and that rootedness is still important today. Too often people speak of Christianity as an individual identity. Jesus notably said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them (Mt 18:20).”

Jesus knew the importance of living a life of faith together, and we should, too.

The idea of being in community has been challenged in an unprecedented way. The pandemic that has shaped so much of our lives continues to keep us from sharing life as fully as we would like, and so our commitment to one another must become even more intentional. Today, as we begin this journey of Lent, you are encouraged to create a sacred space in your home that reminds you of God’s love for you and of your inclusion in the love of your church.

Saint Michael is not a building; Saint Michael is a community. Each one of us belongs in this community of faith. Whenever time we learn together, pray together, and share life together, even though we are separated physically, we are gathered together in the name of Christ, and Christ is indeed among us.

Find something in your home that reminds you of our Saint Michael community, the community that supports our Christian fellowship. Add the item to your home altar.

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT BOB JOHNSTON

FEB 28

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

The baptismal questions include one that says, “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.” As we go further into Lent, there are some important aspects of this question to consider.

The question invites us to affirm that we, as Christians, believe that evil exists. We do. Things may be varied in how we understand that, but we believe there is something that pulls us from the love of God and from the practices that would make us flourish in life. We believe in evil. Sometimes evil is abundantly clear to all. I think of the observations of Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, who was the United Nations peacekeeping general in Rwanda from 1993 to 1994 during the genocide.

He later wrote a book entitled, Shake Hands with the Devil, about his experience of evil there.

Evil exists.

Evil pulls us from our best selves and from God’s ways that would lead us to flourish. Undoubtedly, we will fall at times. The baptismal question says whenever you fall into sin and not if you fall into sin. Part of our human condition is that we have a proclivity to sin, and we have all done it.

Moreover, none us can shake it by our own efforts. Yet God helps us and calls us to return.

Indeed, the baptismal question reminds us of the call to repent and return. The concept of repentance calls us to turn from the things that we know are wrong and to turn towards what we know is right. This is not meant to be an exercise of beating oneself up but a course correction that will help us to flourish and find more love in God. Find something in your home that represents repentance and a positive course correction in your life. Add the item to your home altar.

THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT MARY LESSMANN

MAR 07

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

I don’t know…proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ sounds an awful lot like the ‘E’ word.

Why is ‘evangelism’ such a loaded word for us Episcopalians? Perhaps it is because somewhere we saw it practiced almost as if it were a pyramid scheme—you have to bring at least two souls to Christ to get your Christian card punched. Or perhaps we have an experience with someone who stood at the corner of an intersection and preached loudly about the terrible fate that awaits those who do not accept the good news, regularly thumping his Bible for impact. There are lots of reasons why we measured, reasonable, decorous Episcopalians might associate all of that with evangelism and find it off-putting.

But there are myriad ways to proclaim the Gospel. A famous quote, attributed to Saint Francis, says, “Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” Now that’s evangelism Episcopalians can get behind! The truth is, the way we live our lives is the best witness to the good news of God in Christ. As Christians, our lives should look different than those who have not given their lives to Christ. The love and acceptance and mercy of Christ should flow through us to all those with whom we share our days and weeks and years. Folks should look at us and say, “She has something in her life that is joyful and peaceful and so attractive. I want that in my life!”

It is not easy to embody the grace of Christ in our words and deeds. But as we commit ourselves to prayer and worship and study, Christ grows within us such that we grow more into his image. And as we become more Christlike, our words and deeds more seamlessly witness to the Good News of God in Christ.

Find something in your home that represents spreading and sharing God’s love with your neighbors. Add the item to your home altar.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT GREG PICKENS

MAR 14

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

This week, we are using another portion of our Baptismal Covenant to reflect upon how we both seek and serve Christ in all persons and love our neighbor as ourselves. We can test our adherence to this pledge by putting ourselves in the place of another person.

Have you ever been behind the person at the grocery with the most issues at checkout? You know the ones. They want the one unpriced item or they begin to write their check only after everything is bagged! The list goes on: screaming children, mobility issues, distracted by their cellphone. How long before we begin to mutter at them under our breath?

It is unlikely these folks woke up with the idea of punishing you. More likely, they are doing the best they can; no one wants to be stared at, thought a bad parent, or dismissed as old. And if this is so, how is it we roll our eyes and curse under our breath? Does God do the same when we fall short ourselves? Once we begin to see patterns like our example play out in other areas of our lives, we may conclude that our responses indicate if we are even seeing Christ in others, let alone serving Him, and loving others as we love ourselves.

The Covenant of Baptism recalls us to our sacred commitment to count others as children of God, just as we count ourselves to be. This week, our parish encourages all of us to spend time with our Baptismal Covenant on page 304 of The Book of Common Prayer. There, we will find a Godly way of living that blesses and builds up all who cross our path in this world—a worthy offering this Lenten season.

Find something in your home that encourages or reminds you to love your neighbor as yourself.

Add the item to your home altar.

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT ERIC LILES

MAR 21

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

“I will, with God’s help.”

Because I certainly cannot do this on my own.

Respecting the dignity of all people is an impossible task, I mean, have you met human beings? They are mean, messy and lie. They are stubborn and most of the time too consumed by their screens to pay any attention to the people in need all around them.

Would it be okay to strive for fairness instead of justice? Or instead of working so hard for an impossible peace, perhaps not arguing as much with the people in my household? These seem like far more manageable suggestions. No? You mean this baptismal covenant is something I promise to do at all time, no matter what?

Because if I strive for justice among all people, doesn’t this mean challenging friends and family in their political convictions that the poor are lazy or that illegal immigrants have no place in this country? If I am to work diligently for peace among all people, doesn’t this mean approaching these same friends and family who might not support justice with hope, with friendship, without reproach and without guile?

How can I possibly respect the dignity of someone who has no scruples, who seems only to desire pain and destruction for my family? Because it’s not about them. It’s about me. It’s about my faith and my relationship with God. It’s about the promises I made to God and the promises God made to me. Loving our neighbors can be very difficult, but we do so because God loves us and because God commands us to do likewise.

None of us is to tackle these Covenant promises on our own. We need to support each other in our efforts to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every person. On our own, we will fail. Supporting each other, with God’s help, we will change the world.

Find something in your home that reminds you of our shared work to achieve justice and peace.

Add the item to your home altar.

PALM SUNDAY KEN BRANNON

MAR 28

Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We welcome the gift of Christ.

When I was in eighth grade, my father sat me down one morning and informed me that he had taken a job in Saudi Arabia and would be going there for a year before the rest of the family could join him. I was stunned, scared, sad, and excited; I knew that our life was about to change forever.

On my birthday that year, shortly after he left, he sent me a small box. Inside was a gold ring with a tiny pink gemstone; Saudi Arabia is known for its fine gold jewelry. As I put it on, I had a rush of feelings. On the one hand, I loved that my father had thought of me in this way and had taken the time to find this special gift. On the other hand, I was a twelve-year-old boy in suburban Louisiana in 1981; none of my male friends wore jewelry at the time, and certainly not a ring.

But I decided to wear it proudly. The ring was a sign that I was loved. The ring was a sign that even though we were separated, we would see each other again. Yes, I got grief from kids at school who thought it was too “girly,” but when I told them the story of where it came from and why I wore it, even the toughest guys seemed to understand.

Baptism is a sign that we are loved by God and choose to return that love. At times it’s inconvenient…at times it’s embarrassing. But when we keep our baptismal promises, we discover that others often understand. They see a higher love at work in us, and it allows them to share their stories of love (and lack) as well.

I hope you have a blessed Holy Week and joyous Easter!

Find something in your home that reminds you of your own baptism and the gift we each received through baptism. Add the item to your home altar.

E ASTER SUNDAY CHRIS GIRATA

APR 04

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

My friends, we have reached the beauty of Easter Day! Easter is the celebration of Christ’s victory over death itself, a victory that shows us the way to wholeness with God. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to follow, to walk the path of resurrection, and in doing so, be made whole.

This year, we have created sacred space in our homes that can be a source of inspiration and hope when the world around us seems so uncertain. As we enter the Great Fifty Days of Easter, I encourage you to maintain your home altar, perhaps even expanding it, and pray each day for our church and our world. May the Spirit of God fill the spirit of our Saint Michael family and form us more and more into the people God created us to be.

Find something in your home that celebrates the resurrection spirit of our new Easter season.

Add the item to your home altar.

With great hope, The Rev. Dr. Christopher D. Girata, Rector

HO LY WE EK AN D EASTER S C HEDU L E | M A R 2 8 - A PR 4

PA LM S UNDAY 9 AM CT | LIVESTREAM | Traditional Eucharist 11 AM CT | LIVESTREAM | Contemporary Eucharist 5:30 PM CT | IN-PERSON | Outdoor Eucharist in the west field

H O LY MONDAY 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Women of the Cross

H O LY TUESDAY 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Liturgy of the Nails

H O LY WEDNESDAY 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Choral Tenebrae

M AU N DY T HUR SDAY 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Traditional Eucharist and stripping of the Altar

G O O D FR IDAY NOON CT | LIVESTREAM | Family Service 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Contemporary Service

H O LY S AT UR DAY 7 PM CT | LIVESTREAM | Traditional Easter Vigil with Eucharist

E A ST E R SUNDAY 6:30 AM CT | IN-PERSON | Sunrise Eucharist in the west field 9 AM CT | LIVESTREAM | Traditional Eucharist 11 AM CT | LIVESTREAM | Contemporary Eucharist 1:30 - 3PM CT | IN-PERSON | “JOURNEY TO EASTER”, with brief meditation stations, Distribution of Communion, and festive Easter Music. Enter at West Lot porte-cochère entrance. There will be an opportunity for family photos.

For more information on each service, visit saintmichael.org/holyweek saintmichael.org/holyweek..

SAINT MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 8011 Douglas, Dallas, Texas 75225 | 214.363.5471

www.saintmichael.org @smaadallas