Lent
“A journey, a pilgrimage! Yet, as we begin it, as we make the first step into the ‘bright sadness’ of Lent, we see - far, far away - the destination. It is the joy of Easter, it is the entrance into the glory of the Kingdom.”
- Alexander Schmemann.
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are at the heart of the Christian gospel, and Good Friday and Easter are two of the most significant celebrations of the Christian year. Lent is a season of preparation and repentance during which we anticipate Good Friday and Easter. Just as we carefully prepare for big events in our personal lives... Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection (From The Worship Sourcebook).
- Calling -
O Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim Your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy:
O come, let us adore him.
- Constitution -
Read/Listen, Meditate, Pray, and Contemplate on God’s Word, remembering that God is with you and ready to speak to you because he loves you.
Praying the Psalms
Psalm 71
[1] In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
[2] In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
[3] Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
[4] Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
[5] For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
[6] Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
[7] I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
[8] My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
[9] Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
[10] For my enemies speak concerning me;
those who watch for my life consult together
[11] and say, “God has forsaken him;
pursue and seize him,
for there is none to deliver him.”
[12] O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
[13] May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
who seek my hurt.
[14] But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
[15] My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
[16] With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
[17] O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
[18] So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
[19] Your righteousness, O God,
reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
[20] You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
[21] You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.
[22] I will also praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
O Holy One of Israel.
[23] My lips will shout for joy,
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have redeemed.
[24] And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been put to shame and disappointed
who sought to do me hurt.
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
[1] Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
[2] May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
[3] Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
[4] May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
[5] May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
[6] May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
[7] In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
[8] May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
[9] May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
[10] May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
[11] May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!
[12] For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
[13] He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
[14] From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
[15] Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
[16] May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!
[17] May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!
[18] Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
[19] Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!
[20] The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Old Testament Reading
Exodus 37
[1] Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. [2] And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. [3] And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. [4] And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold [5] and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. [6] And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. [7] And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, [8] one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. [9] The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
[10] He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. [11] And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. [12] And he made a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. [13] He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. [14] Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. [15] He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. [16] And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.
[17] He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. [18] And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; [19] three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. [20] And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, [21] and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. [22] Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. [23] And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. [24] He made it and all its utensils out of a talent of pure gold.
[25] He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. [26] He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, [27] and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. [28] And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
[29] He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.
New Testament Reading
John 16
[1] “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. [2] They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. [3] And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. [4] But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. [5] But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ [6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. [7] Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. [8] And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: [9] concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; [10] concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; [11] concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
[12] “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. [15] All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
[16] “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” [17] So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” [18] So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” [19] Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? [20] Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. [21] When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. [22] So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. [23] In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. [24] Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
[25] “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. [26] In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; [27] for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. [28] I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
[29] His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! [30] Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” [31] Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? [32] Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. [33] I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
- Communion -
Pray for yourself, others, our church, our neighbors, and the world.
Pray the Lord’s Prayer & the collect of the week:
Our Father who art in heaven...
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
- Commission -
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord and our neighbors.