Lent

Well, tomorrow is the first Sunday of Lent. During Lent we follow a more formal and traditional liturgy of worship. This year I decided to write a little booklet to explain some of the theological reasons behind the historic pattern of Word and Table. Over the next few days (or so) I'm going to post excepts here. Here is the first one; an introduction:

As we move into the season of Lent we take time to examine ourselves. Lent has traditionally been a time of reflection, contemplation, and perhaps above all, a time of penance and repentance, remembering the depth of human sin and depravity. The colors of the season—deep purples, blues and the various shades of black and charcoal—remind us that we were all once children of the dark, and that it is out of this deep darkness that God has called us into the light that is Christ. The word Lent means spring. Even the season is a reminder that out of the stark barrenness of winter comes new life. Lent is deeply contemplative, but it is not mournful or sorrowfully solemn. On the contrary, it is full of hope and promise.

Lent is a journey. In it we make our way to Calvary and the cross, only to find ourselves confronted by the empty tomb and the resurrection. Yet this is not an individual journey. It is not one we make by ourselves. Indeed, it is not a journey we can make by ourselves. We make this journey together. Only as the Church do we truly encounter the journey of Lent. Only as the Church do we have any hope of finding our true selves. That is why what we do on Sunday is essential to who we are as the Church. Worship is the primary place where the Church learns what it means to be the Church. And according to one author, “Corporate worship is essentially an act of common prayer” (Willimon).

The goal of our worship services during this season of Lent is to provide structure and continuity to our act of common prayer. The desire is to set this season apart from the rest of the year, making it distinctive in a way that emphasizes the communal aspect of worship, prayer, and confession. We do this through the aligning of ourselves with the rich historic tradition of the worshiping Church.

Work cited:
William H. Willimon, A Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008) 27.