It seems like it should be far away, but in fact Lent begins just 5 weeks from today.
Therefore, it’s time to start brainstorming. Do you have any ideas you filed away last year, hoping to bring them out this time? Any germs of new ideas? Do you usually do a series, follow the lectionary, try to find a theme for the season? Will you have special worship environment (the fancy way of saying “decorating”) needs? Multi-media? Extra services?
Perhaps you’ll follow the Old Testament readings on the theme of God’s providing. Or on remembering what God has done and looking forward to what God is doing. Or maybe you’ll follow the gospel readings on the theme of Jesus’ encounters with various people, or on his inscrutability (everyone seems confused in these readings!).
Maybe this year you want to explore the idea of living in God’s house, using the psalms…along with a class on praying the psalms, maybe, or a midweek prayer service series that prays through the psalms like the monks (well, okay, probably not all 150, but still…).
Whatever your ideas, and however formed or un-formed they may be just now, drop a line in the comments so we can create together! Imagine the worship possibilities when all our spirit-filled comments start bouncing around off one another?
Question: would you like to have a Lent-idea-storming chat? We can do text chat or video. Would that be helpful to you?
Just finished up a meeting with the pastor – and we will be preaching and writing liturgy from the “I am” passages in John during Lent:
bread of life, light of the world, gate, good shepherd, way/truth/life and reserrection.
Jerie Messer Lukefahr, CRE in training , interning at Affton Presbyterian church in St. Louis
It’s only three weeks away! Hard to believe it.
We’ll be doing a sermon series on different spiritual practices throughout Lent, in coordination with the lectionary.
Kathleen Sheets, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Jesup, IA (www.fpcjesup.org)
Kathleen, I’d love to hear more about that. We are also working on a “rooted in love, growing in faith” theme that will incorporate spiritual practices. What kinds of things do you plan to do?
We’re also looking at spiritual practices this Lent. Ash Wednesday is going to be centered around prayer stations but here’s my issue. For Ash Wednesday should I create stations centered around practices and prompted by Ash Wednesday texts (examen, praying in color, labyrinth, icons, prayer beads, etc)? Or should we use stations based on theme but with no particular practice in mind (I call them one-off stations that are very specific to a theme and more of an installation)? I’m leaning towards the practices because I’m trying to invite them into taking up a practice for Lent (and beyond). But, I could be persuaded either way.
Kathleen, I to would love to hear more about your series on spiritual practices through Lent. Very intrigued.
Matthew, what did you decide? And are you willing to share the stations you end(ed) up with?