The Monthly Newsletter of 

 After 25 years of walking the Lenten path, making my commitments, and fulfilling them to greater or lesser degrees, I’ve come to accept the fact that Lent and I have a complex relationship. Each Lenten season, according to tradition, I give something up, or take something on, only to forget, or overlook, or turn a quasi-intentional blind eye to my Lenten devotion. Truth be told, I respect the Lenten journey and I love the season of Lent, but I usually go into warily, knowing that I have to relearn the same lesson year after year.

And what is that lesson? I call it “expansive grace”. It is grace (defined as “God’s unmerited favor”) that finds me in a weak and compromised state, and then “expands” around me to form an all-encompassing bubble of divine love and acceptance. It is grace that accepts the totality of my being, including all my brokenness and struggles, and doesn’t bat an eye when that donut finds its way into my hands after a long day at the office. It is grace that accepts me - by definition - not because of anything I do, but because of who God is.

No, I don’t always go seeking out the donuts. I do try to maintain my Lenten devotion, whatever that may be. But when I struggle, or fail - when I give in to temptation, or neglect my devotion - I run headlong into the two classic thugs of Lenten tyranny: Obligation and Judgment. And in that moment, I have a choice: I can acquiesce to Obligation and Judgment, watch them wag their fingers, and turn my inner eye to shame and self-loathing. Or I can turn to grace; to the favorable disposition of God toward me that is eternally bigger and stronger than my paltry attempts at penitence. To put it more simply, when I’m weak I can beat myself up for my failure, or I can lean more heavily into the love of God.

And that, I would propose to you, is the real lesson of Lent. It is not that we can learn to be strong and resist temptation, or increase our spiritual practice and become super-pious. And it is certainly not that by our acts of supererogation we can somehow change the disposition of God toward us. As much as I love the season, I go into Lent knowing I am weak; knowing I will fail, and - if I’m paying proper attention to the opportunity - knowing that in weakness and failure, I will find God waiting, ready to catch me, ready to love me and clean up me up; ready to send me out again.

That’s why I walk the Lenten journey each year; embrace the Lenten risk. I take on my devotions, knowing that I will fail, and sometimes fail hard. But I don’t think God is concerned about my devotions, as much as God wants me to accept the expansiveness of grace. For that, Lent is a worthy training ground, and the glories of Easter Sunday, a day of graduation.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields Calendar 

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The next Men’s Fellowship Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 4, at 9 am, at the West Chester Diner (1147 West Chester Pike). This is BYOB (“Bring Your Own Bucks”).

All men of St. Francis are welcome to attend.

Our next fellowship event will be on Friday, March 24 from 6 pm to 8 pm.

As in the past, will ask everyone to bring their own appetizer and drink of their choice.

Water and soft drinks will be provided.

The Easter Fellowship Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 12th, from 12 noon to 2 pm. As we did before Christmas, the event will include lunch, music, door prizes, and a time a joy and friendship. Mark your calendars now and watch for more information coming later in March!

Flowers to decorate the church for Easter in memory/thanksgiving/celebration of a person or event are available for a donation of $30.

You can find the form in the Narthex of the church, on the website or by calling the church office at 610-647-0130.

The deadline for the donation and the form is Friday, March 31, 2023.

On April 2nd at 6 pm, the St. Francis Choir will be presenting a devotional concert featuring Michael John Trotta’s “Seven Last Words”. This concert will feature a chamber orchestra of some of St. Francis’ favorite instrumental musicians.

This concert is free and open to the public but free will donations for the music program at St. Francis will be accepted.

Please invite friends and neighbors for this special occasion.

Fr. Kevin’s Study of the Book of Revelation is held on Sunday mornings from 9 to 9:30am. The study is held in-person, but also livestreamed and recorded on the St. Francis YouTube channel.

Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate

Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis. A chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history.

Magnolia Palace, by Fiona Davis

Lenten Study: Entering the Passion of Jesus

The Lenten Study for 2023, led by Fr. Kevin, will be Amy-Jill Levine’s Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week. Dr. Levine is a Jewish scholar and professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

The study group will take place during the Wednesday Bible Study (10am to 11:30am).

An email with the Zoom link will be emailed weekly.

Circle of Friends is a pastoral care ministry of note writing (birthday, get well, thank you, encouragement, etc.)

The Circle of Friends will meet in person, in the library, on Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30 pm. If you are unable to join us in person but would still like to participate, please contact Sue Lenkaitis. Packets can be prepared for pickup or delivery as needed.

A reminder: The study centered on Rabbi Lawrence Kushner’s book, God was in this place and I, I did not know begins 10:30, this Thursday, March 2. 

Contact John at pastorsheepngoat@gmail.com.

Furniture collection for the refugee ministry will resume in mid-to-late-March. Due to a great deal of interest in the program, congregation members looking for other ways to assist refugees, either on a one-time or regular basis, are encouraged to visit the website of Nationalities Service Center (nscphila.org). The site provides opportunities to support individuals and families by purchasing household items or devices on "wish lists." 

Fr. Kevin will be away on sabbatical beginning May 22. The Sabbatical Committee is planning a special send-off celebration for the Dellarias family on Sunday, May 21 (after worship). Please save this date on your calendars.

While Fr. Kevin is away, the congregation will participate in our own renewal activities which were inspired by the results of the survey we conducted in 2022. As we continue to plan these activities, we will provide updates to everyone so you can mark your calendars accordingly. If you are interested in helping with the planning, please contact one of the Sabbatical Planning Committee members listed below.

Thank you for your support of this important aspect of congregational life!

Sabbatical Planning Committee members: Jane Brooks, Fr. Kevin, Nancy Needhammer, Joe Perry, Jill Quinn, John Woodcock (Pastoral Consultant) and Shirley Warren (Chair).

Each Sunday the altar is adorned with fresh flo0wers which are sent out to shut in parishioners at the conclusion of the service. The

flowers are arranged by the flower guild for the purpose of beautifying the altar for worship and then removed and made into bouquets which are delivered by pastoral visitors. We have asked parishioners to dedicate the flowers in memory of a loved one, for the birth of a child, for the celebration of a birthday or anniversary and any other significant occasions.

The cost to donate a week is $50.00. There is a book in the rear of the church marked “Flowers” used to sign up for the week you are interested in. It is totally acceptable for more than one family to sign up for the same week.

Please consider signing up. If you have questions, please Pam Hudson.

Did you know that you can dedicate the Sunday Altar Flowers in honor of a friend or family member, in remembrance of a loved one, or for some other special recognition?

Altar Flower dedications are just $50.00, and helps provide a fresh arrangement each week.

The form for dedicating Altar Flowers can be found on our parish website, www.stfrancisfields.com.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is an active parish, even during COVID-19. For more information about our worship, outreach, and other ministries, visit our parish website, www.stfrancisfields.org. Our monthly parish newsletter, Fieldnotes, may be found by clicking HERE. Stay current on events by following our parish on Facebook.

St. Francis-in-the-Fields is a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, a member of The Episcopal Church, and part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.