RECTOR'S REFLECTIONS

To Observe A Holy Lent

Lent's 40 DAYS are once again before us. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 and continuing until Holy Week (The Orthodox Church call it “The Week of Salvation”) March 28, we will be engaged in a very serious and wholesome time of “Renewal”. While Lent is called by various designations, e.g. the Penitential Season; the Great FAST, perhaps its Old English name “Spring(time)” speaks volumes as to Lent’s importance and significance for the whole church.

The title of this reflection is borrowed from the Ash Wednesday’s Invitation by the Celebrant to the gathered worshipping community to the “observance of a holy Lent.” (BCP 264-265). Together with recalling the historical beginnings of Lent by the early church accompanied by a brief explanation of some of the original practices by the early church which have continued unbroken to our own day, the “invitation” also contains a directive to practice “self-examination and repentance; (by) prayer, fasting and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.”

Thus you can see, as well as remember, that these practices or disciplines are for the personal and communal renewal of faith. Needless to say, we all have a need for such renewal. Lent would be an excellent time to rededicate ourselves to become more faithfully present in our weekly worship attendance, our personal prayer life and daily scripture reading and other spiritual reading, and acts of ministry.

Given our parish-community life, Lent would be a wonderful and refreshing experience to revisit our dedication to, our involvement in, and our giving— financial and otherwise—to and through our parish community and on behalf of its ministries which together comprise the holy work of God...our high calling.

Right now our parish of Good Shepherd is facing some very serious financial strain. Deep cuts restricting our ministry and mission face us all. If any of us have not as yet made a financial ministry commitment for 2010, now is the time to take care of that. Since we are committed as a church (Episcopal) to the teaching of “the tithe as the minimal standard of our giving “(church-giving), I invite all of us to re-visit how our efforts toward rendering a tithe are progressing. Keep in mind the ever-increasing costs to carry out Good Shepherd’s mission and ministry.

The Church is not about money, yet without financial resources, we can not do the holy work of God which is ours delightfully to do. I am sure, and do not hesitate to say, that that is not what we want to do. Good Shepherd Church is a wonderful people and a blessed place, but we can not continue without each of us and all of us giving our best, our utmost to enable Good Shepherd to be better and do even greater things for God and God’s people here at Good Shepherd and beyond ourselves.

Take this opportune time of holy Lent to prayerfully address the question: “What is God asking of me (us) as God’s chosen one (ones) called Good Shepherd Church to become and do as generous and blessed disciples of Christ? How can I/we grow in our commitments of faith begun at our baptism and lasting throughout our time on earth as I/we seek to be those whom God calls God’s beloved?"

With God’s own Holy Spirit filling us, strengthening us, and re-igniting the fires or our faith and the passions of our hearts, may this Lent find us at its ending truly and newly ready to rise with Christ in his resurrection in the bright glory of EASTER DAY.

Some wonderful offerings are scheduled for the Wednesdays of Lent beginning Feb. 24 through March 24. A noon-time Holy Eucharist at 12:10 pm will be celebrated on the same Wednesdays. Lenten Suppers will begin at 5:30; the Lenten “classes” begin at 6:30-7:30 followed by a brief Vesper Prayer Service all concluded by 7:45.

For personal devotions, I would recommend the Way of the Cross (Stations) in the church nave and /or, by using the BCP beginning on page 292, do the Renewal of Baptismal Vows using the windows in the nave as “stations” (of the Vows) as you walk from window to window. Remember the renewal of Baptism vows in an excellent Lenten practice as at the Great Vigil of Easter (April 3), we will do such renewal when we baptize several candidates. Another worthy practice would be to set up a time with me for a celebration of the Sacrament to the Reconciliation of a Penitent (BCP 447) sometime during Lent. Call me or make an appointment for the Sacrament.

I pray us all a holy Lent and the experience of God’s many blessings!

Faithfully,

Fr. Punzo+

BUILDING & GROUNDS

With the New Year here, WE are faced with different challenges for 2010. The problems WE are facing with the budget and meeting the boundaries of that budget, WE as The Church of the Good Shepherd can all help.
WE need to cut energy costs and that means WE have to conserve energy.
How do WE do that? By turning off lights when the room is not occupied.
BY turning down the thermostats in the winter and up during the summer. By watching how much water WE use during the summer months.
Everyone can help.
WE need to do better by cleaning up after ourselves after meetings or special functions, or even after Sunday school classes. Put away tables, chairs and other items that you use. Throw away trash and pick up the area that you use.
If you want to recycle, please take it off the property– don’t store it here. Everyone can help.
WE need to give more of our time and talents to volunteer for workdays and work nights. It is a great way to donate your time for mowing, trimming, painting and small projects. For pulling weeds, for planting in the garden or around the church, for raking leaves, cleaning and dusting, and for shoveling snow. Everyone can help.
By doing ALL of these things, WE are:
Saving money Saving resources
Improving/maintaining the building & grounds