HOW WILL THE CHAPEL KEEP LENT THIS YEAR?                                                  Fool of God (Christ in the Garden): Mark Cazalet

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 17^th February, and we will celebrate a Sung Eucharist at 7pm at which the Imposition of Ashes will take place. On the night before, Shrove Tuesday, we will have a Mardi Gras party at 24 South Audley Street. So, get out your bright coloured clothes, masks and party gear and come along from 7.30pm onwards. Canapes, cheese and puds will be served - from Desserts into the Desert!

Lent is the traditional time for Christians to take stock of their relationship with God, making some renewed commitments to pray a little more, read and perform acts of charity. To help us there will be, again, the joint Lent Course on Wednesday evenings when we meet together with members of local churches here at the Chapel for a light supper and a talk. The evening begins at 7.30pm for soup, speaker at 8.00pm and ending at 9.00pm sharp. This year speakers have been asked to help us think through our priorities as Christians as we prepare to vote in a General Election. More information to follow.

We will also be welcoming some guest preachers for our Lent Sermons. They have been asked to choose a hero of faith as their subject. Our preachers include the Dean of St Paul's, Baroness Cox, Fr John Kevern, Canon Lucy Winkett and Frank Field M.P. Come and listen! Look at the Calendar to keep up to date.

On Mothering Sunday, 14^th March, we will be celebrating Fr Dayton's 30^th anniversary of his ordination to the Priesthood. Fr John Kevern will preach at the Sung Eucharist and afterwards there will be a celebratory party to which all are welcome. If you would like to contribute to a gift for Dayton, in thanksgiving for his ministry, please give your donation to Lis in the office.                                                           

HOLY WEEK

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, 28^th March (Summer Time begins), when we meet our Roman Catholic neighbours in Mount Street Gardens at 10.45am for the blessing of the palms. A quiet eucharist will be celebrated at 6.45pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week. On Maundy Thursday, 1^st April, at 7pm there will be the Eucharist of the Lord's Supper with the Washing of Feet and a Vigil until 10pm for those who wish to stay. Good Friday, 2^nd April, is a solemn day in the Church's year and we will have an act of devotion at 12 noon followed by the 1pm Liturgy of the Lord's Passion.  Easter Saturday will see us all (I hope) in church from 9am onwards giving the Chapel a good and thorough clean. On Easter Sunday, 4^th April, we will celebrate the Resurrection with the Vigil and Eucharist of the Dawn with the lighting of the fire at 6am, followed by a shared champagne breakfast. If you have never been before, do try and make it to this unique service - it is worth the effort! We will then celebrate the usual Sung Eucharist at 11am with an orchestra.

If you have never celebrated all the Holy Week services leading up to Easter Sunday we do recommend you try to as it makes Easter so much more special as we are enabled to understand it very deeply.

 One way we might keep the days of Lent and contribute to a worthwhile Charity is by following Christian Aid's "Count Your Blessings" calendar. You put up the calendar in your kitchen and read a section each day. Take a look at www.christianaid.org.uk/images/count-your-blessings-2010.pdf

 

WHAT IS LENT?

Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on the evening of Maundy Thursday, making way for the celebration of the 'Triduum', the three most important days of the Church's year - Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.

In the scriptures forty days is a traditional period of time for discipline, devotion and preparation as we see, for instance, in the Gospels when Jesus goes into the wilderness to prepare for his ministry. The early Church soon set aside the days before Easter as a time for preparing candidates for their baptism and for encouraging Christian people to pray, to give charitably and to fast. It is a fact that Christians have not always been as disciplined in such ways as people of other faiths, but many are now reclaiming the spiritual insights and benefits of using Lent properly to discover God and the self more deeply. So, what can we do this Lent?

WORSHIP

Why not consider going to a weekly church service that you don't usually go to? At the Chapel you might go to the Thursday Eucharist at 08.00am. Or what about visiting some churches in other traditions? Have you ever visited the Russian Orthodox Church, the Methodist Church or the Swedish Church for instance? How long is it since you went to our cathedral of St Paul? London has many daily services for you to join in. Lent may be a time for you to take worship a little more seriously during your working week.

Crucified tree form - the agony
Theyre Lee-Elliott (1903-1988)

PRIVATE PRAYER

Our prayer lives can be very haphazard and undisciplined. Lent has traditionally been a time to correct this. Churches are open for you to pop in and take the deep breath of prayer. Maybe you prefer to try and pray at home, setting aside a few minutes each day to bring yourself consciously into the presence of God. This can be a very difficult thing to do if we are wound up, distracted and stressed! We may need to light a candle, play some music or breathe slowly before we can either pray in silence or in words. For the Christian nothing is more important than our relationship with God because it affects all our other relationships, choices and behaviour. All loving relationships need time spent on them, time that can often feel as if its being wasted, and our relationship with God is no different. What should you do about this in Lent?

GIVING UP

Most people think that Lent is about giving something up and it can often be a good idea to see whether you are able to give a few things up. What are you addicted to (can you answer that question?!) and what does this say about you? If you give up alcohol or chocolate, say, you might also think of giving the money you would have normally spent on them to a charity. Wherever possible try and make your giving up beneficial to someone else other than you Sometimes Lent can be a good opportunity to give up something that is harming you and the body that is, after all, God's gift entrusted to you. If you are healthy, a "hunger lunch" once a week can be a good idea - eat less and give the money you save to a good cause.

TAKING ON

Some people prefer to take things on rather than give something up. This can range from taking more care of yourself (by taking exercise, for instance) to making sure that you do something more profitable one night of the week than watching TV. One might consider helping out as a volunteer somewhere or deciding to visit someone who is lonely or not well. You could decide to be more environmentally friendly and change some bad habits. Christians need to take much more seriously their belief that God has entrusted his creation to us and that to exploit and spoil this world and its environment is sinful. Many of us need to amend our attitudes and behaviour. Or you might decide to write letters for Amnesty International or to your MP about a matter that we should take an active interest in rather than just let others take responsibility all the time. Perhaps you might consider sponsoring a child through a charitable organisation? Lent is a season in which to redeem your time rather than waste it!

MONEY

As we know, a good way of taking a look at our values is to take a look at our bank statement and see where we spend our money. Most of us in the West can easily be a little more generous towards those who are less fortunate or to some charity that needs help. What about considering giving the weekly money that you would normally spend on a book, the cinema, cigarettes, beer, another shirt or skirt, say, to a charity that helps those who cannot afford such luxuries? Although many people think that all Christians can get worked up about is sex, actually the thing that Jesus talks about and warns people about much more is their attitude towards their belongings and money. What we possess can quickly possess us and we become slaves, often unaware, and pushed into a fearful or pretentious way of being. Is it time to review your giving to the Chapel or to be more responsible in the way you give it? How much does the church mean to you? As much, perhaps, as what you spend on your newspaper in a week - or more? It costs a significant amount of money to keep the Chapel open and well maintained, with beautiful music and liturgy, and with a priest of its own. Remember: we receive no money from the State, from taxes or from the Church of England.

READING

What about treating yourself to half an hour's reading a day - and not just when you're nodding off at night? There are some excellent spiritual books available. You might also use the time to learn more about our Christian tradition and history. You can always ask Fr Mark or Fr Dayton for some advice about books. A good start might be Christopher Jamison's "Finding Happiness" or Lucy Winkett's "Our Sound is Our Wound".

www.livelent.net
You may wish to take a look at the above site for more ideas for what to do this Lent. You can even have a text message sent to your mobile phone each day in Lent containing a suggested action to do to help you be generous to others, the planet and yourself.  If you have children, suggest they take a look at this site.

Resurrection, Cookham by Sir Stanley Spencer