March 6 - The First Sunday of Lent

Rite I 8 a.m. | Rite II 10 a.m. (Sung)

9:15 - Children's Sunday School in Lower Level

9:15 - Adults - Morning Prayer and conversation in Pearson Hall

10 a.m. service streamed via Facebook Live.

Coffee hour follows the 10 a.m. service.

Virtual coffee hour chat available at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81076773055

Luke 4: 4 - "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

Online: standrews-edwardsville.com/stewardship/

In the coming weeks, the Wednesday evening class will morph into a communal devotion. As our guide, we will walk the Stations of the Cross together through the Lenten season. On March 9, we will begin a series of instructed devotions at 6 p.m. following Evening Prayer. We hope to see you there as we contemplate together the Passion of our Lord, pausing week by week, station by station to reflect upon the cross of Christ. [Fr. Ben]

The Stations of the Cross is a devotion to the Passion of Christ which recalls a series of events at the end of Jesus' life from his condemnation to his burial. The Way of the Cross imitates the practice of visiting the places of Jesus' Passion in the Holy Land by early Christian pilgrims. [Episcopal Dictionary]

You may follow the prayers for the Stations of the Cross using the pages from The Book of Occasional Services at this link.

And yet, as we consider our own trials and those of our Lord, it is natural to look around and contemplate those of others. You would not be alone if you found yourself particularly focusing on those of the people of Ukraine. This year, they do not need the memento mori of Ash Wednesday for ashes and death have come to them. They do not need the reminder of the trials of evil because they are an ever-present reality. In a sense, they do not need to seek out Lent, because their own pilgrimage has already begun.

·        From all evil and wickedness; from the crafts and assaults of the devil…

·        From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all want of charity,

·        From all inordinate and sinful affections; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

·        From hardness of heart

·        From plague, pestilence, and famine,

·        From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from violence, battle, and murder; and from dying suddenly and unprepared,

·        In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

·        By the mystery of thy holy Incarnation; by thy holy Nativity and submission to the Law; by thy Baptism, Fasting, and Temptation,

·        By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat; by thy Cross and Passion; by thy precious Death and Burial; by thy glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost

·        To bless and keep all thy people

·        To rule the hearts of thy servants, the President of the United States, and all others in authority, that they may do just, and love mercy, and walk in the ways of truth

·        To make wars to cease in all the world; to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord, and to bestow freedom upon all peoples

·        To show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives, the homeless and the hungry, and all who are desolate and oppressed

·        To preserve and provide for all whose homes are broken or torn by strife

·        To visit the lonely; to strengthen all who suffer in mind, body, and spirit; and to comfort with thy presence those who are failing and infirm

·        To support, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation

·        To have mercy upon all mankind

·        To forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers, and to turn their hearts

·        To strengthen such as do stand; to comfort and help the weakhearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally to beat down Satan under our feet

·        To grant to all the faithful departed eternal life and peace

-Fr. Ben

Fr. Ben Hankinson

For those who would like to contribute towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, please see the following statement from Episcopal Relief and Development:

"Episcopal Relief & Development is mobilizing with Anglican agencies and other partners in order to provide humanitarian assistance to people fleeing the violence in Ukraine. Working through the Action by Churches Together Alliance (ACT Alliance), Episcopal Relief & Development will provide cash, blankets, hygiene supplies and other needed assistance.

“Ecumenical and orthodox faith networks are on the ground in the border areas of Poland and Hungary,” said Abagail Nelson, Executive Vice President, Episcopal Relief & Development. “We will continue to coordinate with these networks, in order to meet the needs of people who have been displaced.”

Please pray for all those affected. Donations to Episcopal Relief and Development’s International Disaster Response Fund will provide humanitarian assistance for the crisis in Ukraine."

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal churches in Europe and the United States are expressing solidarity with and praying for the people of Ukraine as Russian forces continue an invasion that has killed at least 136 civilians, has devastated Ukraine’s two largest cities and threatens to topple the country’s freely elected government.

“The Episcopal Church has been in Europe for more than two hundred years,” Bishop Mark Edington of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, said in a video message released February 25. “Our churches have seen Europe’s wars unfold. They’ve lived and endured in the midst of the destruction and depravity that war brings.”