lent

Lenten Weekend with Rev. Lisle

March 6, 2020 by St. George's Leave a Comment

We were blessed to have Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity with us for our 2020 Lenten Weekend – The Spirituality of Creativity and Play. Rev. Lisle spoke with us about the cycle of creation and how it is core to who we are as God’s creation. She led us in creating art in community and challenged us to accept our creation and our creativity as something from the Divine.

A highlight of the weekend, was her sermon and live painting during worship on Sunday! Below are pictures of her process, including the finished work, “Wilderness Way”.

Click here to read her sermon

Click here to read her artist statement

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Wilderness – February 2020, St. Georgian

February 12, 2020 by St. George's 2 Comments

The following is Associate Rector Areeta Bridgemohan’s monthly opening message from our weekly e-newsletter the St. Georgian. If you’d like to receive our weekly e-newsletter, sign-up here.

Wilder · ness

“state of the wild”

The Rev. Lisle Garrity, Founder and Creative Director of A Sanctified Art, a collective of artists and ministers seeking to offer their gifts to the church and to the world, will be our Lenten weekend facilitator this year. Her group has developed Lenten resources on the theme of wilderness, and St. George’s will be drawing on their resources this Lent.

The wilderness is an important space in our sacred story. The wilderness is a place of despair, barrenness, wandering, exploration, growth and purification. The Israelites wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. In that time, they learned about trusting God, about waiting patiently, and they learned about the risk and the possibilities of freedom. Daily, they relied on God to feed their bodies with manna. They relied on God to feed their souls by holding fast to the promise that God would lead them to the promised land. This was a critical time in the formation of the community’s identity.

Lent also begins in the wilderness. On the First Sunday of Lent we’ll hear that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matt 4:1a). Although the wilderness may seem to have limited signs of life, God uses it to spark spiritual growth. Sometimes the wilderness helps us see more clearly where God is active and moving. Sometimes the wilderness helps us let go of the baggage we don’t need but stubbornly or mindlessly cling to. Sometimes the wilderness leaves us with no choice but to trust God. Sometimes the wilderness helps us discover treasures in the world that we overlooked and reveals hidden treasures within ourselves. In our wandering in the wilderness, we discover that there is no place in our lives or in our souls where God does not dwell. May this Lent be a time for us to discover what God has in store in the wilderness.

Your sister in Christ,

Areeta+

Prayer

The Rev. Sarah Are, A Sanctified Art (2020)

One: God is in the water that restores our soul.

All: And God is in the night when we lose our way.

One: God is in today and tomorrow, raising up leaders, prophets and dreamers.

All: And God is in the wilderness with us—every step of the way.

One: So with confidence we declare—

All: If God is in those spaces, then God is surely here.

One: Let us worship the God of creation.

All: Let us worship the God of wilderness spaces.

Photos from 2019 Lenten Weekend

March 14, 2019 by St. George's Leave a Comment

For our 2019 Lenten Weekend – Rooted in Wholeness – we welcomed the Rev. Ōshin Jennings. Rev. Jennings is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, trained psychotherapist, and multi-media artist. He is the first known Deaf Buddhist monk and leads No Barriers Zen, a meditation community based in Washington, DC. The aim of No Barriers Zen is to make meditation practice accessible to people of all abilities and disabilities.

In addition to leading our evening sessions on meditation, Rev. Jennings also preached at our 9 am service, led our adult forum, had a lunch Q&A with our youth, and participated in our afternoon interfaith panel discussion.

We will be posting videos of the sessions soon so check back!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this weekend a success.

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Lent 2019 – Group and Individual Practices

February 28, 2019 by St. George's Leave a Comment

A Time for Reflection and Renewal.

Lent is a 40-day season prior to Easter during which we are invited to restoration and returning to God through special practices of devotion, prayer, scripture study, and gentle self-examination and self-discipline.
Here is a list of a wide variety of ways to explore Lent through personal and group activities and events in addition to our usual schedule of worship and formation on Sundays.

.Click here to download a pdf version

Individual Practices

Rite of Reconciliation:
By appointment with clergy, schedule a conversation about making a private confession of sins using the Book of Common Prayer.

Explore the Way of Love:
Personal daily devotions: www.episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love.

Fasting as a Spiritual Discipline:
Contact clergy if you would like to discuss fasting.

Forward Day by Day:
Daily devotional booklets are available in the Narthex tract rack.

For Households

Build a Lenten Cross:
Similar to an Advent wreath, line up 5 candles in the shape of a cross. Light one or more candles each night before dinner for the entire Lenten season.

Bake pretzels:
Pretzels were first baked during Lent because they can be made with only water, fl our, and salt. The shape came from a posture of prayer, with arms crossed and hands on opposite shoulders.

Daily Prayer Time:
Gather the household over a meal or at bedtime, spend time in prayer on a certain topic of your choosing, (e.g., the health of loved ones, members of your church, people groups close to your
heart, etc.)

Find Something to Give Away:
As a family, go through your possessions and find gently used (or well loved but still good quality) items, then pray about how you can bless others with those things.

Good Deeds Bracelet:
The good deeds bracelet is a tangible way to remember the importance of making sacrifices every day. The beads on the bracelet begin in one position and, as the person wearing it performs a work of mercy, s/he moves one bead on the bracelet to the other side.

Lenten Challenge:
For the entire Lenten season, challenge yourself to do something new and different that opens our heart, mind, or body.

Spiritual Practices in Community

Stations of the Cross at St. George’s:
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. Led by Melissa Mooney in the nave.

Stations of the Cross for Youth:
Sunday, April 14th 5 – 7 pm during Youth Group.

Drum Circle:
Wednesday, April 3, 7:00 pm in Faulkner Hall

Pray the Labyrinth for Lent:
Labyrinths have been used for centuries as meditation and prayer aides. The labyrinth can represent the journey of life and our walk with God. You are invited to pray the labyrinth as part of your spiritual practice this Lent, every Sunday evening in Lent from 2 – 5 pm, in Sydnor Hall and from 1 – 7 pm on Good Friday (April 19). Volunteers will be there to assist and pray with you, and there will be resources to help you pray the labyrinth. For more information, please contact the Rev. Areeta Bridgemohan.

Study

Stations of The Cross Study and Planning:
Spend Lent meeting regularly with members of St. George’s and other churches learning about and planning our downtown Stations of the Cross Walk on Good Friday. Dates TBA. Contact the Rev. Joe Hensley by March 10 if you are interested.

Lenten Bible Studies:
The Rev. David Casey, O.P. will facilitate a Bible study and discussion on the Epistle readings Thursday evenings at 7 pm, as well as Friday mornings at 7 am and 10 am in Elsie Lewis. There will be a different passage each week. You are invited to attend as many sessions as you would like, and St. Georgians are also invited to lead a session. Please contact the Rev. David Casey, Young Adult Missioner, for more information.

The Red Door Fellowship:
(Our 18 – 35+ group) will be a hosting a series, “Open Conversations of Faith” on select Saturdays in Lent at 820 College Avenue. Please contact the Rev. David Casey, Young Adult Missioner, for more information or follow “The Red Door Fellowship” on Facebook.

Exploring Congregational Song:
Great Hymns of the Church March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9 7:30-8:30 pm. Do you have a favorite hymn? Where do our hymns come from? What is a hymn anyway? Come meet to explore the rich history and theology of congregational song. No training in music is necessary! For space reasons, participation is limited to 8 persons meeting on the above dates at the home of Shirley and Susan Onderdonk, 1209 Rappahannock Ave. 22401. Contact Susan to sign up.

Quiet Circle:
Reflect using poetry, art, and silence the first Thursday of the month, 9:30 am – 12 pm in Sydnor Hall.

Book Study Group:
Tuesdays, 7:15 pm beginning March 12, on the Youth Floor. Selected book is The Divine Dance by Richard Rohr. Contact Nanette Lofaro with questions.

Worship Services:

Ash Wednesday services:
March 6, 7 am (Imposition of Ashes); Ash Wednesday Services at 12 pm and 7 pm.

Wednesday Micah Churches Services and Luncheons:
Click here to view the complete schedule.

Sunday, March 31: “Laetare” Sunday:
Wear pink to church on this fourth Sunday in Lent and celebrate a break in the Lenten solemnity.

Holy Week services:
Tuesday, April 16: Taize Service at 7 pm.

Thursday, April 18: Maundy Thursday Service with Footwashing at 7 pm.

Friday, April 19: Good Friday Services at 12 pm and 7 pm.

Saturday, April 20: Holy Saturday Service at 8:30 am; Liturgy of the Light, 5 pm; Great Easter Vigil with Holy Baptism at 8 pm (Reception following service).

Sunday, April 21: Easter Sunday Services at 7:45 am, 9 am, 11:15 am, 5:30 pm, and 8 pm. Easter Egg Hunt at 10 am.

Noonday prayer: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Events:

Diocesan Quiet Day ECW March 13:
The Lenten Quiet Day is Wednesday, March 13 from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm at the Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center in Richmond. Register online at: www.ecw.thediocese.net.

Parish Clean Up Day March 23:
8:30 am – 12:30 pm. Come help do some spring cleaning in and out of the church buildings before Bishop Goff visits on March 24. The morning will also include optional pauses for prayer and the option of working in silence for those who wish to use their work as a time of meditation. All ages are welcome. Sign up at coffee hour on Sundays or by contacting the church office.

Movie – Traces of the Trade:
As we explore the Lenten call to repentance and reconciliation, join us for a showing of this powerful documentary followed by discussion. Filmmaker Katrina Browne (an Episcopalian) discovers that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. She and nine cousins retrace the Triangle Trade and gain powerful new perspectives on the black/white divide. April 6, 10 am in Sydnor Hall.

Micah Noon Lenten Services – 2019

February 5, 2019 by St. George's 2 Comments

The Micah Ecumenical Ministries partner churches are coordinating a series of Wednesday noon services during Lent. Host parishes will host a lunch following the service. Here is the 2019 schedule:

March 13: Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), 801 Sophia St., Fredericksburg, VA
Preaching: The Rev. Anne Martin, Christ Lutheran

March 20: Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, 308 Hanover St., Fredericksburg, VA
Preaching: The Rev. Brittany Tamminga, The Presbyterian Church

March 27: The Presbyterian Church, 810 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg, VA
Preaching: The Rev. Josh Hagstrom, Fredericksburg United Methodist

April 3: Trinity Episcopal, 825 College Ave, Fredericksburg, VA
Preaching: The Rev. Kent Rahm, Trinity Episcopal Church.

April 10: St. Mary Catholic Church, 1009 Stafford Ave., Fredericksburg, VA
Preaching: The Rev. Aaron Dobynes, Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site)

There will be a Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, April 19. More information to follow.

This year’s Ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service will be at the Presbyterian Church at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, April 21 with Meghann Cotter preaching.