By Sabrina SHELTON

Now is the season of Lent, a time of sacrifice and reflection. Most associate it with giving something up, usually a vice or certain foods. But for the congregation at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, this Lent is an opportunity to release heavy burdens in order to become closer to God.

The church has erected a large wooden cross on its front lawn, but the interesting part comes from what surrounds it. The cross is housed in a box made of chain-link fence, but it isn’t to keep people away.

“In the Christian tradition Lent is an opportunity to reflect and one of the things we want to reflect upon is whatever is distancing us or any barriers that [are] between us and the endless compassion and love of God,” said The Reverend Dr. Antonio Gallardo. “God wants for us the very best, for everyone. So [during] Lent we want people to reflect upon what is it that is preventing you from accessing the source of all that is good.”

The church built the cross in the cage to signify the distance that exists between people and God. Attached to the cage are ribbons and pens for the public to come and write down their burdens and then tie them to the cage. Instructions and Scripture are written in the four major languages of the Crescenta Valley, providing more access to anyone who wants to leave their troubles with God. Rev. Gallardo also wants the community to know that the cross is open and available to anyone who seeks to release themselves of personal burdens regardless of religion or faith.

“[This cross will] signify that I recognize, I have reflected, that I have something and I’m going to leave it with [God],” Rev. Gallardo said.

Once Lent comes to a close the real work will begin. On Good Friday, the congregation will walk the Stations of the Cross, as Christ did, with the giant cross from the cage. They will attach to the cross all of the ribbons that people have left on the cage, which will represent the community’s burdens being reflected upon one final time. Then, on Friday night, the cross will be left inside the sanctuary in darkness.

On Holy Saturday one of the ceremonies St. Luke’s will perform is a blessed outdoor fire. The ribbons will be burned to signify the heavy burden that has been released from one’s life. The cross will then be on display on Easter Sunday sans cage because “we broke that barrier between us and whatever is good,” explained Rev. Gallardo.

Another thing that Rev. Gallardo and the congregation have been considering is their place and roles in the community. Rev. Gallardo asked the congregation what people might say as they drive by the church.   

“I asked the congregation, ‘How would people know that we’re a church?’” he recalled. “How do they know what kind of church we are and what we believe in? So we’re going to be more intentional about putting out there things we believe in so that whoever drives by not only knows that we’re a church, but knows what kind of church we are.”

St. Luke’s wants everyone to know they are welcome to come and reflect at the cross during Lent and rid themselves of worries and burdens. As Rev. Gallardo reminded, “The main call is to love one another.”

  Sabrina SHELTON