February 23, 2023

As a church family, we are officially in the season of Lent! I have always been a fan of Lent. It feels like a very honest season. Advent is like this as well. Advent reminds us that a lot of life is… waiting. The season builds up our capacity to wait and to put our yearning towards God’s kingdom of love and justice. Lent reminds us that a lot of life is… death. Of course, all of us experience literal deaths of loved ones, but also there are little deaths around us all the time. Deaths of dreams, of expectations, of how we thought life would be. In our tradition, seasons of celebration (like Christmas or Easter) are always preceded by times of preparation (like Advent and Lent). It makes those times of celebration that much more meaningful when we have had devoted time to prepare ourselves first.

The great paradox of Lent is that being reminded of our own mortality is what it means… to live. Pretending like everything is fine and avoiding all difficult emotions is not living at all. Lent invites us to go deep within ourselves and find that God has been there all along.

We do not know how many days we have left, but for today there is breath in our lungs and it is a gift. Allow this season to open you in new ways. Frederick Buechner says that during Lent, “Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.” Ask the questions, embrace the ambiguity — find God in all of it.

I will share this poem by Jan Richardson to be a companion for you as we journey together through Lent.

Rend Your Heart
A Blessing for Ash Wednesday

To receive this blessing,
all you have to do
is let your heart break.
Let it crack open.
Let it fall apart
so that you can see
its secret chambers,
the hidden spaces
where you have hesitated
to go.

Your entire life
is here, inscribed whole
upon your heart ’s walls:
every path taken
or left behind,
every face you turned toward
or turned away,
every word spoken in love
or in rage,
every line of your life
you would prefer to leave
in shadow,
every story that shimmers
with treasures known
and those you have yet
to find.

It could take you days
to wander these rooms.
Forty, at least.

And so let this be
a season for wandering,
for trusting the breaking,
for tracing the rupture
that will return you

to the One who waits,
who watches,
who works within
the rending
to make your heart
whole.

—Jan Richardson

I love the image of Lent being a time to wander around in the rooms of your heart to find what might be there. I hope this image is helpful for you as we enter this season!

Blessings to you,
Rev. Janelle

Our next Word & Table service will be held this Sunday, February 26 at 5:00 pm in Hadley Hall. Offered once a month, Word & Table is a casual, contemporary, and creative service based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy. Our additional upcoming services will be held on March 19, April 23, and May 21.  

Our next intergenerational Midweek @ Epiphany is this Wednesday, March 1. Each Midweek begins at 6:15 pm with dinner and fellowship. This coming Midweek is going to be chili night! There will be a vegetarian option, pizza for the kids, and cookies for dessert.

Following dinner, we'll continue our intergenerational Lenten Midweeks mediating on water, baptism, and new life. Around our tables we'll use special materials to experience prayer and water in new ways together. Join us this Wednesday for a meal and brief liturgy as we prepare ourselves for our Lenten journey together! 

Do you have a birthday or anniversary during the month of March that you would like remembered in 3 Crowns and the Sunday bulletin? If so, please send the details to Kathryn in the parish office by Monday, February 27. 

Every Sunday in March at 11:30 am, Rev. Nick will welcome community guests to join us in exploring what it means for us to live lives with integrity towards God's call for kinship, compassion, and solidarity. Join us in Hadley Hall following the 10:00 am service for conversation and dialogue as we hear from community partners from Boston to Haiti.

All are invited to a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, March 5 at 5:00 pm. Choral Evensong is the most particularly Anglican service in all of Christian worship. Originating from monastic hours, it consists of the distinctive parts of the ancient offices of Vespers and Compline. The Parish Choir offers canticles, prayers, and anthems so that everyone's devotions at the end of the day may be enhanced by music, scripture, and candlelight. 

The Malden Warming Center provides a warm and safe shelter for those experiencing homelessness during the winter months. They are currently on the lookout for these items:

• Hoodies/Sweatshirts
• Sweatpants
• Coats
• Winter Boots
• Backpacks
• Small or Medium Suitcases with wheels
• Thermal Underwear

Let’s care for our unhoused neighbors! Leave donations in the back of the church in the shopping cart in the Nave until March 5. Rev. Janelle is also gathering a group (18 and older) to be trained to volunteer at the center. If interested, please email her. You can learn more about the Malden Warming Center here. 

On Saturday, March 25 at 4:00 pm in Hadley Hall, join Rev. Nick and the Executive Director of Locally Haiti, Wynn Walent, as he visits Boston and introduces the amazing work and innovative approach to sustainable, vibrant, and impactful non-profit work in Haiti. This Episcopal-affiliated and Haitian-led organization focuses on community health, education, agriculture, and girls' empowerment in the community of Petit Trou de Nippes. Come for a festive reception and evening together as we learn about Locally Haiti.