Lent at St Michael & All Angels 2016
(10 February - 24 March )
What is Lent? Click here for a liturgical guide by Cathie James, Master of ceremonies
Lent services in 2016
At St Michael & All Angels, we mark Lent in a variety of ways - in services and in other activities (scroll down for more details of each activity):
- Lent Lunches: Lunch in homes or the Parish Hall to raise money for our Lent Appeal.
- Lent Sermons: The Sunday morning sermon series will focus on the theology Christian worship
- Why me?: At Evensong, 6.30pm Sundays, members of the congregation give personal reflections on their life and faith (details below)
- Events and Courses, Reflection and Prayer
Lent Sermons
'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.' wrote St Paul to the early church community at Colossae. During the Sunday morning Eucharist the Vicar will explore, in a series of sermons, the theology of Christian worship:
Preachers:
Lent 1: Sunday 14 February: 'You shall worship the Lord your God'
Lent 2: Sunday 21 February: Transformative prayer'
Lent 3: Sunday 28 February: Rhythm & Repetition
Lent 4: Sunday 6 March: Family Mass for Mothering Sunday - Sarah Lenton, subdeacon
Lent 5: Sunday 13 March: Passion Sunday: The Holy Sacrifice
Sunday 20th March (Palm Sunday) at 7.30pm: 'The Crucifixion' by John Stainer
A meditation on the Passion with Choir, soloists and hymns
Lent Charity Appeal
Throughout 2016, St Michael & All Angels will be supporting three charities.
The Upper Room - a centre for the homeless and disadvantaged in West London.
The Mulberry Centre, a drop-in centre in Isleworth, offering information and support to anyone affected by a diagnosis of cancer.
The income from the Lent Appeal is divided equally between them.
Msaada (the name means 'help' in Swahili): provides high quality dairy cows in calf, along with full training and veterinary support, to people who are living below the poverty line in Rwanda. It was founded by the BBC correspondent and Chiswick resident Fergal Keane to help restore dignity to the forgotten victims of the Rwandan genocide and was selected in 2015 to be St Michael's overseas charity for the following 3 years .
Lent Lunches
You are warmly invited to join other members of the congregation and their families for a simple lunch each Sunday during Lent (with the exception of Mothering Sunday). There is no charge but donations are invited to our Lent Appeal in aid of the three charities St Michael's is supporting in 2016 (see above). They start at 12.30pm and all the venues are close enough to be reached easily from St Michael's.
Please see the Sunday pew sheets for details
Why Me ?
At the 6.30pm Evensong service, members of the congregation give a personal reflection on their life and faith:
Sunday 14 February- Allan Donner
Sunday 21 February- Tassy Russell
Sunday 28 February - Jim Cox
Sunday 6 March - Kay Porter
Sunday 22 March - Sion Hughes-Carew
Events and Trips: Delighting in God
During Lent we make a series of visits to places where we can reflect on the connections between faith and art as a means of inspiring and guiding us on our Lenten journey. Please sign up at the back of the church:
Tuesday 16th February: departing Turnham Green Tube at 10.30am
Guildhall Art Gallery, Roman Amphitheatre and St Lawrence Jewry (Paintings & Sacred Space)
A guided tour of the paintings & sculptures collected by the Corporation of London, the remains of London's amphitheatre, discovered in 1988, and the Mayor of London's Official Church.
Cost: Free
Wednesday 24th February :
begins at 7.30pm
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(Drama)
In this 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare's death, we visit the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith to see this critically acclaimed production
Cost: £15
Thursday 3rd March: departing Turnham Green Tube at 10.30am
Dr Johnson's House (Literature)
A guided tour of this 300 year old townhouse where the 18th century writer and compiler of the famous dictionary and devout Anglican, Samuel Johnson, lived and worked.
Cost: £3.50
Monday 7th March : departing Turnham Green Tube at 9.30am
St Margaret's Westminster and Churchill's War Rooms (History)
A tour of the 'parish church of the Hosue of Commons' followed by a visit to the bunker, hidden under the streets of Westminster, that protected the staff and secrets at the heart of the British Government during the Second World War as Churchill and his inner circle plotted the route to Allied Victory.
Cost to be finalised : approx £13/£11
Monday 14th March:
meet in the Courtyard outside Chiswick House at 11am
Chiswick House Gardens (Garden design)
In this 300th anniversary year of the birth of Britain's great landscape gardener, 'Capability Brown', a 75 minute guided historical tour of the birthplace of 'the English Landscape Garden movement', in which we will discover the symbolism, secrets and eccentricities of this fascinating park
Cost: free
Study Groups
One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church: an Introduction
Sundays at 11.30am in the Gabriel Room.
In a series of short presentations with discussion (45mins), Fr John Gibaut will explore the nature of what we mean by Church. Dr Gibaut is Director for Unity, Faith and Order in the Anglican Communion
14,21,28 Feb,13 March
Christ on Trial: an exploration of our Christian belief
Thursdays 8-9pm at St Peter's Church, Southfield Road
Fr Fabrizio will help us explore our Christian belief as we study the biblical stories relating to Holy Week and Easter
18,25 Feb, 3,10,17 March
Study Book
Our recommended study book for Lent is:
'Life in the psalms' by Patrick Woodhouse
The psalms lie at the heart of Christian worship. For thousands of years people in despair and praise have cried to God through the words of these ancient poems. However such is the gulf between their ancient culture and our modern world that much of their meaning is lost to us. This book aims to bridge that gap.
Copies are available for £10 at the back of church after Mass in Lent or from the Parish Office.
Prayer and Worship
Stations of the Cross
A short meditative service journeying with Christ on the way of the Cross
Fridays at 6.30pm throughout Lent. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church
Daily Office and Mass
Come and join the Church's regular daily prayer, which takes place before Mass. 9am Sundays, 5.30pm Mondays, 12 noon Wednesdays, 9.30am Thursdays and 9.30am Saturdays. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church
Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
Mondays at 6.30pm after Mass or by appointment. Further times will be advertised during Holy Week. Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church