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In Bishop Wayne Smith's Lenten message last year, he recalls Lent as a time to reflect on the manner of life to which we are already committed. Speaking after the first months of our national economic distress he said, "The realities of Lent and our lives at present may match up, in ways not of our own choosing. The prophets (and here I think especially of the latter part of Isaiah) suggest that the economies of God’s people have a way of focusing the spiritual awareness, no small thing."
Online resources for this season of reflection, meditation, penitence, and prayer: NRSV Holy Bible online; NRSV for iPhone, PDA, Blackberry; Book of Common Prayer; BCP for Kindle, ebooks, PDAs; BCP in iPhone app; The Lectionary Page; The Text This Week:Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links and Resources; The African American Lectionary
The Good Friday Offering. http://ecusa.anglican.org/110049_ENG_HTM.htm
The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East was formed in 1841 with the purpose of forging friendships with the ancient churches and serving the expatriate communities in this area. The friendships made then have strengthened the work and witness of the entire Episcopal Church ever since. Since 1922, members of the Episcopal Church have given thanks for this extraordinary relationship through their generous giving to the Good Friday Offering. This offering expresses our own commitment to walk with the church of Jerusalem & the Middle East as they continue to work toward justice, reconciliation, and peace. Through our support of these churches we are helping to realize God’s vision of shalom. -Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.
Lenten reflection from the Bishop of Haiti, Jean Duracin, 'I look at this as a baptism'
 ...It is natural to question, but we hold on in faith to God – God who is always good, the God of infinite compassion. That we were struck by this tragedy does not mean God is not with us. He is here. We must always remember that God lives in this world. There is pain, but there is also joy. He gives us assurance not of the life that ends, but the life that is eternal.
The earthquake did not diminish our worship, though it altered the places where it takes place. The church has not faltered and must now rise to a new role. Belief in Christ and love for our Lord carries us into a new phase of construction. We will raise new places to worship God...
 Episcopal Relief and Development at http://www.er-d.org/Lent.
The 2010 Lenten Meditations booklet's devotional theme is "Healing ourselves and a hurting world." Developed by Sister Claire Joy of the Community of the Holy Spirit in New York City, these meditations are also available via email. Meditations, prayer cards, bookmarks, hope boxes, sermon notes, prayer cycles.
 The Episcopal Church maintains a page of seasonal resources at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/resources_seasonal_ENG_HTM.htm
Take Up Your Cross is a meditation guide for students and all young adults especially those in the U.S. military from the Young Adult and Campus Ministries These meditations are also available electronically, send an email with your e-mail address as the subject line and “join meditations” in the body to mharewood@episcopalchurch.org
Lenten Brushstroke Meditations is a series on Gospel reflections through Chinese calligraphy, published in 2007 by the Rev. Elyn MacInnis.
From the Diocese of Missouri
  A Lenten Gift from St. Martin's-Ellisville. This year forty-three parishioners contributed to a collection of 46 meditations. The daily readings cover the 40 days – as well as the six Sundays — of the Lenten season. Mary Drastal contributed the original cover image; Ruby Downs and Janet Theiss produced the books in the church office. An initial print run produced booklets for parishioners; for those able to contribute, a donation was asked to support Episcopal City Mission. As a Lenten gift to the diocese, the people of St. Martin's have made this booklet available to us all. You can read it online or download it from scribd.
Link to the online version of A Lenten Gift (at scribd)
Link to St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ellisville.
Trinity-Kirksville is running an online Lenten devotional group featuring a daily question for reflection and discussion. The site is http://trinity3kv.blogspot.com/ and is open only to registered readers. For an invitation and more specific instructions, please contact Maria Evans at crankycricker@yahoo.com.
The Rev. Peter Van Horne, Interim at Trinity-Kirksville, reminded us of the words of Arthur Lichtenberger, sixth Bishop of Missouri, who later became twenty-first Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church.
When he was Presiding Bishop, he offered these
words of Lenten advice:
• Fast from criticism, and feast on praise.
• Fast from self-pity, and feast on joy.
• Fast from ill-temper, and feast on peace.
• Fast from resentment, and feast on contentment.
• Fast from jealousy, and feast on love.
• Fast from pride, and feast on humility.
• Fast from selfishness, and feast on service.
• Fast from fear, and feast on faith.
 The readers and staff of Anglicans online have a large collection of links to Lenten resources (in addition to Holy Week and Easter) at http://anglicansonline.org/special/lent.html
Liturgies; reading plans; links to original documents in Project Canterbury, a free online archive of out-of-print Anglican texts and related modern documents; palm cross making primers; music and imagery
Episcopal Public Policy Network. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/109350_118793_ENG_HTM.htm
EPPN will be studying hospitality, immigration and refugees during Lent. Sign up for weekly emails. Study materials available online.
 BBC Radio 4's Lent 2010 programme.
The aim of the Lent programming is to engage with some of the tensions and arguments surrounding Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. An exploration of the characters of Mary Magdalene, Mary, Judas, Peter, Barabbas and Jesus. Accompanying materials from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland use drama, poetry and meditation in addition to scripture.
Journey through Lent with print and electronic books, materials and supplies. CPG is offering a 25% discount on Lenten items through March 1, 2010.
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