Lent as a 40-day season of preparation for Easter developed gradually in the early centuries of Christianity. The number 40 is significant in biblical history, recalling the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness, the 40 days Moses spent on Mount Sinai, and the 40 years Israel wandered in the desert. By the 4th century, the Church had established Lent as a distinct period of fasting and penitence, particularly for those preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil. Over time, the practice extended to all Christians as a period of renewal and reflection.

During the Middle Ages, strict fasting rules were observed, often prohibiting meat, dairy, and even fish in some traditions. The Episcopal Church, as part of the Anglican tradition, inherited its Lenten practices from the medieval Church of England. While fasting regulations have become less rigid, the focus on prayer, self-examination, and repentance remains central.

Ash Wednesday, with the imposition of ashes, is one of the most distinctive services of the season, a practice that has its origins in the early church’s use of ashes as a sign of penance. Holy Week, which marks the final days of Lent, incorporates ancient traditions such as the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday and the solemnity of Good Friday.

Lent has evolved over the centuries, but its core purpose remains the same: a time of spiritual preparation leading to Easter. It is a season that invites Christians to reflect on their faith, turn away from sin, and draw closer to God through prayer, fasting, and acts of services.

Christian Formation during Lent

Wednesday Night Dinner and Program

We have always lived in a world of uncertainty. At times, we feel this more acutely in our shared life. Lent invites us to engage with life’s uncertainties rather than ignore them. It is only by embracing the unknown that we can fully acknowledge the power and proof of the resurrection.

Join us Wednesdays during Lent as we journey together in faith, looking deeply within ourselves to explore what resides in the uncertain—the shadowy, untenable, and unreliable parts of our souls.

Session Schedule:

Session One: The Desperate Father and the Uncertainty of Faith Mark 9:14-29
Session Two: The Crowd and the Uncertainty of Worry Luke 12:1-34
Session Three: Lazarus and the Uncertainty of Mortality John 11:1-44
Session Four: Zacchaeus and the Uncertainty of Surrender Luke 19: 1-10
Session Five: Jesus and the Uncertainty of Obedience Matthew 26:36-46

We invite you to join fellow members of our community in this time of reflection and spiritual growth. Let us step into uncertainty with faith, together.

Ecumenical Lenten Lunches on Thursday

For years, four churches in Cartersville have come together in a tradition of fellowship, diversity, and spiritual growth. As we enter the season of Lent, we reflect on Jesus being led by the Spirit into the wilderness after His baptism.

Deserts play a pivotal role in the Bible—they may seem barren and lifeless, yet they are often the setting for profound encounters with God. This year, we will explore the “deserts” within our own city. Where do others see only despair and emptiness? Could Jesus be calling us to serve in these places? Might we experience the holy in unexpected ways?

Join us as we journey together, seeking to bring light and hope to the places that need it most.

Lunch will be provided starting at noon. Each week we will be in a different church.

Wednesday Night Dinner and Program

Join us Sunday mornings during Lent as we come together to discern what it means to grow in Christ. This special five-week series will guide us in deepening our faith, strengthening our community, and walking more closely with God.

Below is a message from our Bishop about this meaningful journey. We encourage everyone to participate as we reflect, pray, and grow together during this sacred season.

Message from Bishop Wright about this series

Friends,

The theme for this year’s Diocesan Lenten series is Growing Up in Christ!

I get to this theme in response to the opportunity and necessity of us all becoming more mature Christians. Our marriages, families, vocations, state, nation and world all will be better when we decide, with new resolve, to Grow up in Christ! Above all, Growing up in Christ is an active friendship with Jesus that changes us and points us toward the world that he loves.

St. Paul had Christian maturity in mind when he wrote, “…we will no longer be like children… but growing up in every way more like Christ.” Eph. 4 He also said famously, “When I was a child, I thought, spoke, and understood like a child, but now that I have become an adult, I have put away childish things.” 1 Cor. 13

To unpack St. Paul’s words we would show Growing up in Christ is minimally: a knowledgeable and thoughtful life with scripture, an authentic and frequent practice of prayer, a conversational ability to communicate life with God and an increasing commitment and joy in neighborliness.

These audacious outcomes begin and are sustained with small, personal steps like: asking the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our willingness to know Christ, being open to seeing the ways in which our current living is out of alignment with Jesus’ invitation to abundant life, and a readiness to experience the trustworthiness of God.

We enter this season of Lent and this journey toward new spiritual maturity together bearing in mind that all we undertake is first a response to the invitation of a loving God who wants us to be free and whole.

I am so excited when I think about what the Holy Spirit will do in our lives and in the world when we decide to Grow Up in Christ!

Your brother and bishop,

Bishop Rob Wright

Centering Prayer Group on Mondays