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

The Bishop’s Call to Fasting & Prayer | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18 THRU FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20

In this two-minute video greeting, Bishop Stewart shares, "The last five years have been challenging for many of us in many different ways, and as we move forward, the Lord has laid on my heart to call us, as a diocese, to a 3-day Consecration Fast starting on Ash Wednesday. 

Lenten Soup Suppers | Various dates/times in Lent | Sign Up

Our Soup Suppers this year will be hosted in the homes of Cross members. These Suppers provide a chance to get to know others from Cross more, while enjoying a simple, tasty meal together. Each will end with a brief prayer liturgy. The Suppers are offered in various locations and on various dates to help everyone find a place to join. Sign up online to attend one Soup Supper; the hosts will provide soup, but will be in contact with you for help with other needs.

• THURSDAY: FEB 26 | 5:30-7:30pm | Eden Prairie

• THURSDAY: MAR 5 | 6-7:30pm | Minneapolis

• FRIDAY: MAR 6 | 6:30-8pm | St Paul

• MONDAY: MAR 9 | 6:30-8pm | Bloomington

• WEDNESDAY: MAR 11: 6-7:30pm | Plymouth

• WEDNESDAY: MAR 11: 6:30-8pm | Eden Prairie 

• THURSDAY: MAR 12 | 6:30-8pm | Excelsior

• MONDAY: MAR 16 | 6-7:30pm | Plymouth

• WEDNESDAY: MAR 18 | 6-7:30pm | Minneapolis

• TUESDAY: MAR 24 | 6:30-8pm | Hopkins

Stations Of The Cross | WEDNESDAY: MARCH 25, 7-8pm // FRIDAY: APRIL 3, 12-1pm

We're offering two times for our Stations of the Cross service, once in March and once on Good Friday. In this traditional service of prayer and reflection, we meditate upon the chief scenes of Jesus’ sufferings and death, moving throughout the sanctuary, pausing at each station and cross.

Listening Session | SATURDAY: MAR 28, 9:30am-12pm | Sign Up

Lent is a perfect time of year to contemplate Christ's life and His goodness to us. One way we can do that is through the arts. Join Deacon Joel for a contemplative listening session celebrating God's great gift of music. For the past two years, we have listened to Bach's St. Matthew's Passion and Handel's Messiah. This year, we will listen to two Requiems.  A Requiem is a mass written for the repose of the dead. We will listen to two very different Requiems. We will listen to A Requiem by French composer Gabriel Fauré. We will then listen to Johannes Brahms's German Requiem. The Faure piece is a bit over half an hour, and the Brahms piece is about an hour. With a natural break in between, you'll have an opportunity to focus on one piece if that's all you have time for. 

Good Friday Offering | FRIDAY: APRIL 3

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. (More details for this are coming soon.)

Recommended Resources for Lent

Prepare with Joy: Lenten Devotional

You are invited throughout this season to use this devotional liturgy of Scripture, collects, and breath prayers to draw near to God as you prepare in both mind and heart. Breath prayers are short, two-phrase prayers that fit easily into one inhale and exhale. They are based on Scripture or collects and invite the one praying to an awareness of their bodies through slow breathing, simple Scriptural petitions, and repetition. Breath prayers are meant to focus our minds and lift us from our anxieties, as we acknowledge the God of salvation. Download your copy or pick up a printed booklet from the Gathering Space.