What is the season of Lent?
Lent is a 40-day journey of reflection and renewal, rooted in Jesus’ time in the wilderness, that invites us to step away from distractions and ask deeper questions: Who am I, and who is God calling me to be? In the Episcopal Church, we mark this season with purple, a color that symbolizes reflection, transformation, and the deep work of the soul. Lent isn’t just about giving something up; it’s about making space for prayer, self-examination, and acts of love. Wherever you are on your spiritual path, Lent isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about showing up, asking the questions, and letting God meet you on the journey.
Lenten Sermon Series: Following Jesus Together
In our Sunday Scripture readings this Lent, we’ll hear some of the greatest stories about Jesus: standing up to Satan in the wilderness, teaching the experts how to live by the Spirit, seeing deeply into the Samaritan woman’s heart, giving sight to a man born blind, and raising Lazarus from the dead. How can we follow where Jesus is leading us? When we try to travel alone, we’re more likely to get lost or stumble on the rocks along the path. But when we turn to those alongside us, the way becomes much more clear … and more life-giving. Through the Sundays of Lent, we’ll find the path Jesus is setting before us, consider how we might be tempted to stray, and give thanks for the companions God gives us on the way.
Companion Groups: Life Shared, Faith Explored
Many of us are living with questions that don’t resolve quickly, questions about faith, about Scripture, and about how to live faithfully in a complicated and changing world. For some, long-held assumptions feel less certain. For others, faith feels active and alive, but unfinished, still asking something of us.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus meets the deepest questions of faith and life not by sending people off on their own, but by gathering them together. He forms disciples through shared life, conversation, and presence, walking with them as they listen, question, and learn along the way. That same invitation to live and discern together remains open to us today.
Beginning in Lent, St. Andrew’s will offer Companion Groups, small groups that will gather monthly to reflect on Scripture and on how faith is intersecting with everyday life. Between gatherings, participants will spend time with Scripture using shared reflection prompts provided by the church. Group meetings will offer space for reflection, listening, and prayer.
Details at a glance:
Adults, middle school-aged youth, and high school-aged youth at St. Andrew’s are invited to take part in shared reflection and conversation. Groups will begin meeting in March and will gather monthly. Sign-ups are open now through the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 22.
How to sign up:
Click here for the sign up form, complete a paper sign-up form in the narthex, or contact Mtr. Jean at jean@standrewkc.org.
Special Worship
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, February 18, 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m.
Ashes to Go at Charlie Hooper’s in Brookside – Wednesday from 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Childcare available at 12pm and 7pm services.
Taizé Worship
Tuesdays (February 24, March 10, March 31) at 6 p.m.
Join us for Taizé worship at St. Andrew’s, which includes prayer, simple music, a time for silence, and inspirational readings. Song refrains are sung many times over as a prayer of the heart.
Palm Sunday
Sunday, March 29, a single service at 9:30 a.m. beginning at HJ’s Youth and Community Center.
We’ll combine our morning services, gathering at 9:30 a.m. in HJ’s parking lot for the Blessing of the Palms. Then, led by members of the Kansas City St. Andrew Pipes & Drums, we’ll walk with Jesus as he rides a donkey to the church entrance. We’ll also experience a scriptural and musical presentation of the Stations of the Cross before sharing Holy Communion. (In case of inclement weather, the Palm Sunday procession will begin in the Jewell Room.)
Holy Week
Monday in Holy Week
March 30 at noon in the chapel
Tuesday in Holy Week
March 31 at 6 p.m. Taizé worship in the chancel
Wednesday in Holy Week
April 1 at noon in the chapel
Maundy Thursday Agapé, Worship, and All-Night Watch
Thursday, April 2 at 5:30 p.m. and continuing through the night.
5:30 p.m. – The Agapé is an ancient feast of love. Ours is a reception featuring special finger-foods from the Holy Land in preparation for Maundy Thursday’s worship.
7 p.m. – The Maundy Thursday Eucharist commemorates the Last Supper. We remember Jesus taking the bread and wine, declaring them to be his Body and Blood, and giving himself for his disciples. As he washed the feet of his friends before dinner, so we will wash each other’s feet during worship. Doing so, we live out Jesus’ commandment to love by serving others.
All night – Following the Maundy Thursday Eucharist, you’re invited to pray during an all-night watch with Jesus in the chapel decorated as the Garden of Gethsemane. This powerful time of devotion begins when our worship ends and concludes with the noon Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Individuals keep watch in the chapel in hour-long shifts. It’s our response to Jesus’ question to the sleeping disciples, “Could you not stay awake one hour? Watch and pray…” (Mark 14:38).
A security guard will be posted at the church door throughout the night. Look for the Maundy Thursday Watch sign-up board in the church’s entryway, or email Mary Sanders to sign up.
Childcare is available during the service and agape meal.
Good Friday Stations of the Cross
Friday, April 3 at 12 p.m.
On Good Friday, we’ll gather in the church to walk the Stations of the Cross. It’s an opportunity to meditate on our Lord’s suffering as we symbolically follow in his footsteps along Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow. At stations marked by shadow boxes, we’ll remember the 14 most significant events of Jesus’ journey, beginning in the chapel with the judgment by Pontius Pilate, continuing along the side aisles around the nave, and concluding in the columbarium with Jesus’ death and burial. Within each box hangs a photographic interpretation of the event each station represents.
Good Friday Solemn Liturgy
Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m.
We’ll offer the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday. This service is like no other – a time to put ourselves face to face with the cross, the instrument of bloody death and ultimate salvation, and contemplate the deep mystery of God’s own sacrifice for us.
Childcare will be available during the Good Friday service.
Holy Saturday Prayers
Saturday, April 4 at 9 a.m.
We’ll mark the time our Lord’s body lay in the tomb and his followers mourned what they thought was the end of hope and promise. This very brief service in the chancel (where the choir sits) includes just a few readings and prayers. (After this service, the church will be prepared for Easter.)
The Easter Vigil
Saturday, April 4, at 7 p.m.
As the sun sets, come celebrate Christ’s journey from death to resurrection with the Easter Vigil. This is Christianity’s most ancient worship, and its power to tell the story of our faith is still astounding. We begin outside, under the porte-cochere, kindling a new fire to symbolize how the evil of the cross can’t extinguish God’s light; and from this fire, we light the Paschal candle. The congregation then follows this holy light into the darkened church, after which a series of Old Testament readings tells the story of salvation from creation through the prophets. Then we baptize new Christians and reaffirm our baptismal vows, remembering our own passage from death to life in Christ. The congregation sits in darkened silence for a few minutes until a noise breaks through (symbolizing the earthquake that opened the tomb) and the lights come on, revealing the altar and cross adorned in flowers! Suddenly, it’s Easter, and God’s light and life have once again conquered the power of sin and death. From there, the celebration continues with the first Eucharist of Easter.
Childcare is available during the Easter Vigil service.
Easter Day
Sunday, April 5 at 8 and 10:15 a.m.
We’ll welcome this happy morning with our Festival Eucharists of Easter, complete with a chamber orchestra. An Easter egg hunt for the kids will follow the second service, about 11:30 a.m. The “alleluias” will return (including the chance for all of us to sing the Hallelujah Chorus) as we celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection and the joy we know in our own new lives – foretastes of the eternal life Jesus has won for us.
Childcare is available during both services.
Lenten Study Opportunity
Do you have a love/hate relationship with Lent or want something deeper than a “giving up chocolate” approach? Join us for a four-week Lenten exploration of spiritual practices from The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. We’ll reflect on Sacred Reading, the Daily Office, the Ignatian Examen, and a different kind of fasting. The group meets Sundays, Feb. 22, Mar. 1, Mar. 8, and Mar. 15, from 9:15–10:00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s (location TBA) and is limited to the first 24 participants. Led by Carolyn Johnson. To receive a free copy of the book, sign up after church near the Jewell Room or email carolyn.swede@gmail.com.
Lenten Devotional: Five Minutes With God
Coming soon: Our Lenten devotional, Five Minutes With God, invites you into a simple, meaningful daily practice without adding burden to your plate. With brief readings and reflection questions, the guide helps you engage Scripture, prepare for Sunday worship, and grow in relationship with God—both in personal prayer and through conversation with others. Watch your mailbox for your copy as we begin our Lenten journey together.