St. Lawrence Episcopal Church - 125 West Church St., Libertyville, Illinois 60048 - 847.362.2110
The forty days of Lent
There are many resources available to aid in your self-examination, reading, and meditation for the forty days of Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday February 17, 2021. Below are a few suggestions to get you started.
Living Compass: Living Well Through Lent 2021 - Listening with all Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.
A set of meditations, one for each day from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. You can also enroll to receive a daily email devotional with the mediation.
Episcopal Relief and Development Lenten Meditations 2021
You are invited to meditate on these reflections daily and to engage the “Four Steps of Lament,” by resting, reflecting, repenting and ultimately being restored to God and to one another. You can subscribe to receive these meditations daily in your inbox. Note, the Lenten Meditation booklet is completely virtual this year as churches continue to gather virtually.
www.episcopalrelief.org/church-in-action
Society of St. John Evangelist (SSJE)
Come, Pray is the offering for Lent from the Episcopal monastic community of men located in Cambridge, MA in partnership with Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary. SSJE Brothers invite you to “Come, Pray.” Join them in receiving the daily gift of prayer – at home or wherever you find yourself. Across the weeks of Lent, listen in as Brothers discuss the rich and varied ways we pray, together in church and in our personal prayer. Then join them for worship, exploring a rich array of live-streamed services, culminating in the glories of Holy Week. “Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day.”
The Way of Love for Lent
Life Transformed—The Way of Love in Lent: Practices for a Jesus Centered life. The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.
www.episcopalchurch.org/life-transformed
BODY AND SOUL: Anglican Prayer Beads and Prayer Shawls
Explore the practice of Anglican Prayer beads which are similar to, but shorter than, the Catholic rosary or Tibetan Prayer or Mala beads. Moving your fingers along the chain of beads helps you to focus on your prayer and encourages a meditative quality to your practice.
www.unspokenelements.com/pages/how-to-use-anglican-prayer-beads
Prayer Shawls
Do you love to knit or crochet? If so, put your talents to good use by getting involved with St. Lawrence’s Prayer Shawl Ministry. The shawl maker begins with prayers and blessings for the recipient and continues to pray and meditate as the shawl is created. Once completed, the shawls can be returned to the church or given directly to the recipient. This is a "quiet" ministry. Please join us and put your needles and hooks to good use bringing comfort and prayers to those in need. Visit the Prayer Shawl Ministry page on this website.
Finally – It’s Time for Lent Madness
Can Lent be fun? Yes, if you wish to learn about the Holy Men and Women we remember on the Episcopal Church’s Calendar of Saints or if you are of a competitive nature and like NCAA-style playoff brackets. Each game day two Saints are matched, (church) celebrity bloggers share parts of each saint’s story and your online vote determines the winner of that bracket pairing. Also known as The Saintly Smackdown, it is best to bring a sense of humor. This is an especially good activity for families with school-age children as you can sneak in discussions about the lives of the people we call Saints and how to be more like them. Check out the Lent Madness web site or Facebook page to find out more about the Holy Hoopla and play along to see which Saint will win the coveted Golden Halo. The first match up is on Wednesday, February 17.
Conversations that Matter
St. Lawrence parishioners and guests regularly engage in topics of community interest.
2021 Conversations that Matter will focus on issues of equity and equality. The St. Lawrence Antiracism Task Force will begin the year offering opportunities for prayerful reflection, learning, and action.
At St. Lawrence, wherever you are in your spiritual journey we welcome you. We celebrate diversity and, following Jesus’ example embrace ALL God’s children. As a community, we cherish your uniqueness as God has made you: across cultural backgrounds, skin color, citizenship/immigration status, political views, age, gender identity/expression/attraction, marital and economic status, and physical and cognitive abilities. Whoever you are, whomever you love, wherever you are from, WE WELCOME YOU!
For additional information view the Antiracism Task Force section on this website or contact office@stlawrencechurch.org.
Education for Ministry (EfM)
Education for Ministry (EfM) is a unique four-year distance learning certificate program in theological education based upon small-group study and practice. Curriculum is provided by The Beecken Center of The School of Theology at The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. EfM is offered throughout the US and Canada and in many other countries.
EfM at St. Lawrence meets once a week January-June and September-December. The first year texts cover the Hebrew Scriptures, year two the New Testament, year three the History of Christianity, and year four Comparative Theology. All years meet together in a one-room-schoolhouse format; the program is expertly arranged so the discussions are interconnected and relevant to one another. We engage in the art of Spiritual Reflection on a regular basis, a method by which we tie what we've learned to our everyday lives and learn to see the world through a theological lens.
New participants are welcomed each year. For additional information contact EFM@stlawrencechurch.org.
Program information can be found at https://efm.sewanee.edu/about/
The Way of Love
A self directed formation opportunity offered by The Episcopal Church, The Way of Love is a way of life. More than a program or curriculum, it is an intential commitment to a set of practices. It's a commitment to follow Jesus: Turn. Learn. Pray. Worship. Bless. Go. Rest.
Additional information can be found at https://episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love