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 35
Of David.
[1] Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
[2] Take hold of shield and buckler
and rise for my help!
[3] Draw the spear and javelin
against my pursuers!
Say to my soul,
“I am your salvation!”
[4] Let them be put to shame and dishonor
who seek after my life!
Let them be turned back and disappointed
who devise evil against me!
[5] Let them be like chaff before the wind,
with the angel of the LORD driving them away!
[6] Let their way be dark and slippery,
with the angel of the LORD pursuing them!
[7] For without cause they hid their net for me;
without cause they dug a pit for my life.
[8] Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it!
And let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it—to his destruction!
[9] Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD,
exulting in his salvation.
[10] All my bones shall say,
“O LORD, who is like you,
delivering the poor
from him who is too strong for him,
the poor and needy from him who robs him?”
[11] Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
[12] They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.
[13] But I, when they were sick—
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
[14] I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I bowed down in mourning.
[15] But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered;
they gathered together against me;
wretches whom I did not know
tore at me without ceasing;
[16] like profane mockers at a feast,
they gnash at me with their teeth.
[17] How long, O Lord, will you look on?
Rescue me from their destruction,
my precious life from the lions!
[18] I will thank you in the great congregation;
in the mighty throng I will praise you.
[19] Let not those rejoice over me
who are wrongfully my foes,
and let not those wink the eye
who hate me without cause.
[20] For they do not speak peace,
but against those who are quiet in the land
they devise words of deceit.
[21] They open wide their mouths against me;
they say, “Aha, Aha!
Our eyes have seen it!”
[22] You have seen, O LORD; be not silent!
O Lord, be not far from me!
[23] Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication,
for my cause, my God and my Lord!
[24] Vindicate me, O LORD, my God,
according to your righteousness,
and let them not rejoice over me!
[25] Let them not say in their hearts,
“Aha, our heart’s desire!”
Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
[26] Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who rejoice at my calamity!
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
who magnify themselves against me!
[27] Let those who delight in my righteousness
shout for joy and be glad
and say evermore,
“Great is the LORD,
who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
[28] Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
and of your praise all the day long.
Psalm 36
To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.
[1] Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
[2] For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
[3] The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
[4] He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.
[5] Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
[6] Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O LORD.
[7] How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
[8] They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
[9] For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
[10] Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!
[11] Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me,
nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
[12] There the evildoers lie fallen;
they are thrust down, unable to rise.
Old Testament Reading
Proverbs 18
[1] Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
[2] A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
[3] When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
[4] The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
[5] It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice.
[6] A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
[7] A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
[8] The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
[9] Whoever is slack in his work
is a brother to him who destroys.
[10] The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
[11] A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.
[12] Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
[13] If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
[14] A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
[15] An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
[16] A man’s gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
[17] The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him.
[18] The lot puts an end to quarrels
and decides between powerful contenders.
[19] A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city,
and quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
[20] From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
[21] Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
[22] He who finds a wife finds a good thing
and obtains favor from the LORD.
[23] The poor use entreaties,
but the rich answer roughly.
[24] A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
New Testament Reading
Colossians 1
[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
[2] To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
[3] We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, [4] since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, [5] because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, [6] which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, [7] just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf [8] and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
[9] And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, [10] so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. [13] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
[15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. [16] For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. [17] And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [18] And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
[21] And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, [22] he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, [23] if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
[24] Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, [25] of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, [26] the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. [27] To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. [28] Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. [29] For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
- 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...
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
- Commission -
After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. (1 Peter 5:10-11)
Let us go forth in the name of Christ.