What do these words mean?

One of the interesting things about the Episcopal Church is we come across some rather unfamiliar words

Pentecost (Whitsunday) is known as the "birth day" of the church. Pentecost is a feast of the universal Church which commemorates the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, on the ancient Jewish festival called the "feast of weeks" or Pentecost (Exodus 34:22; Deuteronomy 16:10). Whitsunday is so called from the white garments which were worn by those who were baptized on this Sunday (or usually at the Vigil service on the night before.) It was a "white" Sunday.

Words we encounter during the season of Lent:

Shrove Tuesday derives its name from “shriving” which means confessing and absolving.  The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) was a traditional day for hearing confessions.  This Tuesday is also known as “Mardi Gras” or “Fat Tuesday” because of the Lenten Fast in which no meat was eaten...thus Tuesday was the last day to consume all of the animal fats.  For this reason it is also known as “Carnival” - literally the “removing or putting away of flesh” (meat). Now many think of “Carnival” as the big party before Lent begins.

At Transfiguration we observe the move into Lent and its leaner times with a Parish Pancake Supper.  We also continue the tradition of burning the palms from last Palm Sunday on that Tuesday to provide ashes for the next day’s Ash Wednesday services.

Ash Wednesday the first of 40 days of Lent, is named for the custom of placing the blessed ashes on our foreheads as a sign of penitence and a reminder of our mortality.  Ash Wednesday is observed as a day of fasting in the church year of the Episcopal Church.  One way of deepening the meaning of this fast is to donate money which you might have spent on dinner to a program that feeds the hungry.

LENT comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lencten” - for “spring”-  the time of year when days begin to lengthen. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the 40 weekdays and five Sundays of Lent provide an introspective period in which to intentionally deepen our relationships with God.  Lent is a time of “preparation.” Preparing for what?  Since the early days of the church Lent has been a time for individuals to prepare to be baptized. All of us are preparing for the great celebration of Resurrection at Easter.  As part of our preparation and spiritual renewal, Lent has traditionally been a time of increased prayer, bible reading, fasting and alms giving.

Worship
Our Sacred Space is arrayed in purple, as a reminder of this penitential season.  Greens, rather than flowers, adorn the altar.  More confessional prayers remind us that this is a time of “metanoia” - of intentionally turning back to God (again and again and again).  We “put away” the “Gloria” and the ”Alleluia” and will not sing them again until they joyfully return at Easter.  We enter and leave our Sanctuary a bit more mindful of “being quiet” in respect for those who wish to arrive early or remain (during and after the organ postlude) in quiet prayer.

Lenten Traditions  All Christians are invited “to the observation 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.”  (Book of Common Prayer, page 265)

What about “Giving Something Up” for Lent?  Well, Lent is not just a convenient time to diet - although it may well provide a good reminder to provide better care for our bodies.  So “giving up” desserts or chocolate (or excuses not to exercise) may indeed be helpful health-wise.  More importantly, practicing a bit of self-denial (i.e. “giving something up”)  may provide us with reminders to be more mindful about what we really need in life….  We may need to spend more time inprayer.  We may need to open that Bible that’s been sitting on the shelf….   Perhaps we “need” to give up an evening of TV each week in order to spend more real time with our families. Perhaps we need to give up an hour of “surfing the Internet” so that we can call someone who is lonely.  Perhaps we need to “give up” a grudge and spend this Lent “forgiving” someone.  Suggestion: Pray about it…you’ll probably discover pretty quickly if you’ll benefit from giving something up this Lent...and what it should be.   (And we all need to remember Scripture’s admonition to refrain from being boastful about our fasting and self-denial.)

Fasting?  Isn’t that a little old-fashioned?  We know that Jesus fasted and taught others this spiritual discipline.  Some people eat a little less one or two days a week (reminding themselves about what they “truly” hunger for).  Some of our parishioners join in a “Fast for Peace" every week, all through the year.  Giving up meat on Fridays was not intended just to be a boon to the fishmongers.  Friday fasting reminds us of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.  Fasting also reminds us of those who go without food because they have no food. The idea of “meatless Fridays” is to have a very simple meal at least once a week - so that the money that might have been spent on a fancy meal - can be given, instead - to those who are hungry. (Some families prefer to have “soup suppers” once a week rather than giving up meat.) Many people keep a collection box on the dining room table during Lent and place money there (alms giving) to be given away to those in need.

Words we encounter during the entire church year:

The Book of Common Prayer (aka the BCP) is the common book used by the Episcopal Church that includes of prayers, orders of service (including the standard Sunday morning worship services), and some background information on the church itself. While we typically don't need to reference it regularly at the 10:30 Sunday morning service (we have a separate printed booklet unique to each week's service for covenience), it is in every pew at church and can be wonderful to browse through if a particular part of the service doesn't thoroughly grab your attention.

The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the “Pater Noster” or “Our Father” is probably the best known and most often prayed prayer in Christianity. It comes from two slightly different versions in the New Testament, found in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke.

At Transfiguration, we most often pray the traditional translation, as found in the BCP:

    Our Father, who art in heaven,
    Hallowed be thy Name.
    Thy kingdom come.
    Thy will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
    Give us this day our daily bread.
    And forgive us our trespasses,
    as we forgive those who trespass against us.
    And lead us not into temptation;
    but deliver us from evil:
    [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
    For ever and ever.] Amen.

Some Episcopal churches also occasionally use a more recent ecumenical translation, put together by scholars of the English language Liturgical Consultation:

    Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as in heaven.
    Give us today our daily bread.
    Forgive us our sins
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
    Save us from the time of trial
    and deliver us from evil.
    [For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
    now and for ever.] Amen.