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An Invitation to a Holy Lent
"I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word."
The Book of Common Prayer's Ash Wednesday Liturgy, pg. 265
As we enter the season of Lent, we invite you to journey with us through this time to pause, reflect, and draw closer to God. Through fasting, daily prayer and devotion, and penitence, we open our hearts to renewal and grace. Join us as we walk this path together, setting aside the distractions of daily life to embrace the stillness and spiritual depth of this holy season. May this Lent be a time of transformation as we ready our hearts for the joy of Easter.
Below, you’ll find some tools we will use as a community to guide us through this Lenten journey. We welcome you to worship, pray, and reflect with us. To the cross we go.
Ash Wednesday
March 5
Join us for services with the Imposition of the Ashes at 12:00 and 5:30pm in the Church.
The Daily Office
Morning Prayer: Monday through Thursday at 8:30am
Evening Prayer: Wednesdays at 4:30pm
St. John regularly holds morning prayer in the Atrium Chapel Monday through Thursday at 9:00am. Join us in person or online on Facebook (no account required).
Evening prayer is held on Wednesdays at 4:30pm, also in the Atrium Chapel. You are most welcome to join us. During Holy Week, we will have evening prayer every day.
Stations of the Cross
Fridays, March 7 - April 11
12:00pm in the Church
Journey through this holy season to the foot of the Cross each Friday during Lent. This weekly devotional practice helps to ground us as we travel the path of reflection and repentance during the 40 days of Lent and draws us closer to our Lord. A soup and salad lunch will follow in the Wilderness Room. No RSVP necessary.
Click play on the video below for an introduction to "A Commonplace Lent."
Devotional Guide:
A Commonplace Lent
Booklets Available Beginning Monday, March 3
This Lent, “let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Join writer Jerusalem Jackson Greer as she encourages us to partake in “A Commonplace Lent.” A celebration of our common life, Jerusalem's meditations center two uses of the word "common." The first is the sense that we come together to celebrate “all that we are and all that we have in common”—prayer, worship, grace, love, community, service, and so much more. The second understanding of common is a reflection on the ordinary, everyday nature of these communal gifts. She finds this duality rooted in the wisdom of desert mothers and fathers, monastics, and other spiritual leaders, and she infuses it into her meditations for each day of Lent.
Sign up to get daily Lenten meditations in your email inbox, or pick up a meditation booklet from the Parish Office beginning Monday, March 3. You can also view the booklet online using the button below.
Lenten Learning Series:
What Is Mysticism and
Why It Matters
With the Rt. Rev. Porter Taylor
Tuesdays, March 11, 18, 25, April 1, and April 8
5:00pm in the Wilderness Room
Bring a finger food to share!
Some years ago, Bishop Porter Taylor had a conversation with a young adult that left a lasting impression. When he asked his daughter’s friend where she attended church, synagogue, or temple, she replied, “I don’t go to any of those.” When he asked why, she said, “Because they are not about anything important in my life.” This response has stayed with Bishop Taylor, prompting him to reflect on the three movements in the Christian life: the journey outward, the journey inward, and the journey together.
While there are abundant opportunities for companionship and civic engagement all around us, few spaces outside therapy guide individuals toward deeper self-discovery. Mysticism, Bishop Taylor asserts, is crucial for the church to remain relevant and transformative in our personal journeys inward.
This Lent, Bishop Taylor invites you to deepen your spiritual journey through a series focused on five mystics who offer profound insights into faith. Each week, he will provide a brief overview of a mystic’s teachings, followed by discussions on their relevance today. The series will feature:
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Thomas Merton: True Self and False Self
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Simone Weil: Beauty as a Doorway to the Holy
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St. Francis of Assisi: The Holiness of Freedom
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Julian of Norwich: “All Will Be Well”
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Evelyn Underhill: Receivers and Transmitters
No prior reading is required, though optional resources will be available online and at the Parish Office. Fellowship with finger foods begins at 5:00pm (bring something to share!), and the class starts promptly at 5:30pm. Children’s formation will run concurrently. Come and explore the mystical dimensions of faith this Lent!
Class Materials
March 11
(Thomas Merton)
March 18
(Simone Weil)
March 25
(St. Francis)
April 1
(Julian of Norwich)
April 8
(Evelyn Underhill)
Lent Madness
Brackets due to Parish Office by March 5
Lent Madness is back and better than ever this year, with a whole new lineup of saints to learn about and vote on. Last year, Julian of Norwich narrowly beat Albert Schweitzer in the battle for the Golden Halo. You can influence results in 2025 by visiting www.lentmadness.org each day in Lent and voting for the saint you hope will win.
To sweeten the pot, St. John in the Wilderness is running its fourth annual friendly Lent Madness competition this year. To enter, pick up a bracket and a copy of the saints' biographies from the table outside the Parish Office, fill out the bracket March-Madness style, and turn it in to the Parish Office by Ash Wednesday, March 5 (before the voting begins!). When Easter arrives, the person whose bracket is most accurately filled out gets an awesome prize and bragging rights until next Lent. To make things a little more interesting, the person whose bracket is most egregiously off-target will also get a prize.
Don’t forget to visit www.lentmadness.org each day and vote for the saint you want to win! We’ll keep track of the daily winners on large bracket posters in the Wilderness Room and Parish Hall.
Contact Mims in the Parish Office with questions. May the saintliest saint win!