Posted on 02/22/2007 12:12:08 PM PST by Titanites
The Worship Sourcebook gives us this excellent explanation to the Lenten season of Christian Worship (pages 551-552):
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, such as a wedding or commencement, Lent invites us to make our hearts ready for remembering Jesus’ passion and celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.
The practice of a forty-day preparation period began in the Christian church during the third and fourth centuries. The number forty carries biblical significance based on the forty years Israel spent in the wilderness and Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness. The forty days of Lent begin on Ash Wednesday and continue through holy week, not counting Sundays (which are reserved for celebratory worship). In practice, many congregations choose to focus Sunday worship on the themes of repentance and renewal.
As a period of preparation, Lent has historically included the instruction of persons for baptism and profession of faith on Easter Sunday; the calling back of those who have become estranged from the church; and efforts by all Christians to deepen their piety, devotion, and readiness to mark the death and resurrection of their Savior. As such, the primary focus of the season is to explore and deepen a “baptismal spirituality” that centers on our union with Christ rather than to function only as an extended meditation on Christ’s suffering and death.
The traditional color for the season is purple. Some congregations choose to highlight the contrast between Lent and Eastertide (the period from Easter to Ascension Day or Pentecost or Trinity Sunday) by omitting the singing of “Alleluia” during the Lenten season, and yet other congregations stress that all the Sundays of Lent are “little Easters” and thus may appropriately feature Easter-like praise.
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Scriptures and Statements of Faith Applying to the Theme of Lent Canons of Dort, Pt. II, Art. 2-5, 8 Penitential psalms:
The importance of heartfelt repentance: Baptismal spirituality and unity with Christ: Romans 6:1-14; 8:12-17
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Looking at Lent
The season of Lent is familiar to many churches. However, most Reformed churches did not observe liturgical seasons until shortly after World War II, and some still resist it. We believe there are good reasons for the church to take a fresh look at Lenten observance and see great benefits for its worship life.
From the beginning the Christian Church has focused on the celebration of Christ's resurrection at Easter. Each Sunday is seen as a celebration of Christ's resurrection, and the annual anniversary of that resurrection is a special holy day.
Holy days require careful preparation—that's where Lent comes in. Reformed churches have always recognized the need for careful preparation for special events. Our worship usually opens with a time of preparing to approach God through confession and forgiveness. We observe a time of preparation for coming to the Lord's Supper. In the same way, Lent is a necessary time of preparation for marking Christ's sacrifice and the celebration of an annual Easter.
The local congregation will find great value in observing Lent, if it is done thoughtfully. There is much we can learn from the early church. A valuable Lenten season will require careful work ahead of time by pastors, musicians, and other worship planners.
Sermon Series
Pastors usually present, and parishioners often expect, a special series of sermons during Lent. In planning a series of sermons, two matters should be obvious. First, the sermon series must be charted out before other worship planning can begin. Second, the pastor must take the lead in preparing the series and passing that information along to others with sufficient advance notice so that all others involved in planning have adequate lead time. This will require careful effort by the pastor so others can plan well. A Lenten series of messages should be charted out at least a couple of months before the season begins.
Several options are available to pastors when they consider a series of sermons for Lent. It is wise to vary the style of Lenten sermon series from one year to another. A number of different types of sermon series for Lent may be possible:
Decisions for Lenten Worship Planning
Your Lenten season will likely involve special worship efforts. Therefore, your worship planning will certainly require many decisions that involve advance planning and preparation. In an effort to help you anticipate these decisions, we list a number of questions and issues here. Other material in the archives of these resources will also provide helpful material to you.
Services of Confession for Lent
We suggest that you consider having a standard service of confession for the entire season of Lent. The service of confession is an integral part of Reformed worship; the worshiper comes before the presence of God in humility and receives a renewed assurance that God's pardon covers all his/her sins. This act of confession and penitence is particularly consistent with the spirit of preparation in the Lenten season. And so we find that the repetition of a standard service of confession is healthy in this liturgical season. It becomes familiar as a recognizable part of each week's worship, and each week reinforces its message and spirit. This service of confession can be used as a unit and set into the service of each week. Note that we have included having the congregation rise for the reading of the Gospel for the assurance of pardon. Early Christians always stood for the reading of Scripture—a good practice.
The Call to Confession
The Scriptures tell us that God desires to forgive his people. We have sinned and Jesus has
come to pay the price for it. The prophet Isaiah says, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa.
53:6). Therefore, trusting the grace and mercy of God, let us confess our sins to God and to
one another.
Sung Prayer of Confession: "O Christ, the Lamb of God" PsH 257, RN 216, SFL 44
or “Kyrie” RN 86, SNC 52, 53, UMH 483
or “Lamb of God” SNC 253
*The Assurance of God's Pardon
Please rise for the Gospel Reading. [ pause ]
Hear the reading of the Holy Gospel in which we are told the story of the suffering and death of
Jesus Christ for our pardon and salvation.
The Gospel Reading from a Lectionary
This is the Gospel of Christ: “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his
wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5b).
*The Passing of the Peace
Leader: The peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
(The worshipers greet each other saying, "The peace of Christ be with you.")
*Our Sung Response: "What Wondrous Love" (st. 1, 3) PH 85, PsH 379, RN 277, SFL 169, TH 261, TWC 212, UMH 292
or “I Love the Lord” SNC 227
Glossary of Hymnal Abbreviations:
PH The Presbyterian Hymnal (Presbyterian Church USA; Westminster/John Knox Press)
PsH The Psalter Hymnal (Christian Reformed Church; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
RL Rejoice in the Lord (Reformed Church in America; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
RN Renew! (Hope Publishing Company)
SFL Songs for LiFE (children's songbook; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
SNC Sing! A New Creation (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Christian Reformed Church,
Reformed Church in America; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
TH Trinity Hymnal (Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America; Great
Commission Publications)
TWC The Worshiping Church (Hope Publishing Company)
UMH The United Methodist Hymnal (United Methodist Publishing House)
WOV With One Voice (Augsburg Fortress)
The Call to Confession
Sung Prayer of Confession: “Ah, Holy Jesus, How Have You Offended” (st. 2) PH 93, PsH 386, RL 285, RN 183, TH 248, TWC 231
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon you?
It is my treason, Lord, that has undone you.
‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied you;
I crucified you.
Assurance of Pardon
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our diseases, yet we considered him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray, we have all turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:1-6, NRSV)
Sung Response: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (st. 2-3) PH 101, PsH 384, RL 293, RN 236, SFL 166, TH 252, TWC 213
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them through his blood.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?
*The Gospel Reading:
*Passing the Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
(The worshipers are encouraged to greet each other saying,
“The peace of Christ be with you.”)
*Sung Response: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (st. 4)
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.
The Call to Confession
Our Prayer of Confession
Most holy and merciful Father,
We confess to you and to one another,
that we have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart and mind and strength.
We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your holy name.
For the sake of Jesus Christ, Amen.
The Assurance of God's Pardon:
Pastor: The Gospel of Christ speaks to us of the assurance we have of God's pardon. Please rise for the reading of the Holy Gospel.
(worshipers rise; readings are by lay persons)March 9 – John 3:14-17
March 16 – John 4:7-14
March 23 – John 6:35-40
March 30 – John 10:11-18
April 6 – John 14:1-6
April 13 – John 14:23-27
The Gospel of Christ.
Thanks be to God!
Song: “There Is a Redeemer” RN 232, SNC 145
Passing the Peace:
Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you.
People: And also with you!
(the worshipers pass the peace to each other and then are seated.)
Our Commitment to Holy Living:
Since we have been saved by grace, how shall we live in relationship to Him who saved us?
We will have no other gods before Him; we will not make for ourselves any substitute gods; we will not abuse the name of the Lord, but speak it only in reverence and love; we will honor the Lord's day through worship, witness and fellowship with His people.
How shall we live in relationship with others?
We will honor our parents and hold the family in high esteem; we will not abuse, hate or injure our friends or neighbors by words, gestures or deeds; we will not commit adultery, but live holy disciplined lives; we will not steal; we will not lie; we will not grasp for what we do not have, nor reject others for having it.
How does Jesus summarize these commandments?
He says that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves, and by God's grace, we will do it!
Glossary of Hymnal Abbreviations:
PH The Presbyterian Hymnal (Presbyterian Church USA; Westminster/John Knox Press)
PsH The Psalter Hymnal (Christian Reformed Church; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
RL Rejoice in the Lord (Reformed Church in America; W.B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)
RN Renew! (Hope Publishing Company)
SFL Songs for LiFE (childrens' songbook; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
SNC Sing! A New Creation (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Christian Reformed Church, Reformed Church in America; Faith Alive Christian Resources)
TH Trinity Hymnal (Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America; Great Commission Publications)
TWC The Worshiping Church (Hope Publishing Company)
WOV With One Voice (Augsburg Fortress)
Amen to that.
I agree that it has become "downright obnoxious", and for me and perhaps for lurkers, can be counter-productive.
But I must say, it was never really "kind of funny" for me.
It was an environment that made me uncomfortable when I was young and hadn't yet decided to become a Catholic. Then after I converted to Catholicism, I was ostracized by former "friends".
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That's a shame. I hae some protestant friends whom I get into some pretty intense religious discussions with, but we still respect each other. I'm sorry your "friends" weren't as respectful of you. For many, religion is more of a social clique than a real faith community, and they don't care as much about the gospel as hanging out with people who "think the right way" in their eyes.
Wilted TULIPs, perchance?
"Thank you, Jesus, most Sacred Heart"
Yes, thank you, Jesus.
Opus, I foolishly wrote a post the day before Ash Wednesday saying I would be off the forum for Lent.
Then came all the posts about how unBiblical it is to wear ashes on my forehead, and how unscriptural public lenten customs were and how prideful it is to speak of fasting and how much it is like the Pharisees and so on and on.
How could I have ever thought that entering into 40 days of metanoia and "renewal of my mind" (St. Paul) and seeing "my sins are ever before me" (Psalms) and "can you not watch one hour with Me"? (Jesus) and "fast and pray that you enter not into temptation" --how could I have ever thought that such a practice would be of any help to me? Why, it would be like trying to buy my way or work my way into grace. It would be like thinking I could save myself. How very Catholic that was and how very unBiblical!
And then--then I went to Mass on Ash Wednesday--the place was filled to capacity. A friend told me that at a neighboring parish, there was no more room in the church. This was at an evening Mass when people would go straight home with their ashes on their foreheads and not in public, so they wouldn't seem to be like Pharisees. And I heard the wonderful readings--the last one from the Gospel: "And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
I saw all those people there who wanted to "begin again", who wanted to re-commit, to re-evalaute their lives. They had in their hearts the hidden self-knowledge of their need to forsake their "little sins". They wanted to join in with others who were led to come forward together to seek the Lord with their whole hearts and whole minds and whole lives. They came to pray together for God's grace and strength to look again at all the worldly attachments and character flaws that needed to be recycled into positive values like curbing tempers, and denying some pleasures in order to tithe for those who are in need, or learning how to use more time for prayer ( and maybe less time for cyberspace). They wanted to commit to a closer walk of renewal in the Lord and they wanted to do it together.
I forgot all that talk about unBiblical and Phariseeism and pride. I received my ashes hearing "turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel", as did all the many others there. I'll be thinking a lot these next 40 days about watching my temper, remembering that "charity covers a multitude of sins", that Jesus asked me to "take up my cross and follow Him" and that I have "knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sin" (Luke).
Thank You, Jesus, most Sacred Heart!
How Spirit-filled your words!
I love Lent and Easter more than any other season in the Church. The utter joy of Lent, of the fasts and prayers that allow us to look inward and outward in Christ are so great as we prepare for the Paschal Triduum!
"Repent and believe in the Gospel!" Such humbling words as we stand before our priests as he makes the sign of the cross on our foreheads.
I read Paul to the Ephesians this morning on how we as Christians should live, Chapters 4,5,and 6. This struck me:
"Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers" 4:29
A lot of our posters on the Catholic lists are wonderful in that regard. I only hope that I can follow their example in dealing with our separated brethren.
I'll pray for your temper improving, and you please pray for mine!
You're talking to a Presbyterian. We believe in accountability.
God has instituted a correct church on the earth and the Holy Spirit leads His sheep to find it. Some are closer to the truth than others, and every step is determined by God. Being a Presbyterian, I believe God's truth is protected to a greater degree in a Presbyterian form of church structure with its built-in checks and balances and a government made up of like-minded equals who recognize Scripture as their final authority.
You reap what you sow.
Amen.
If you're interested, the following is an excellent link...
And here is Calvin's take from the Institutes...
and...
"You're talking to a Presbyterian..."
As I said before, to goatherders all goats are different, but I am not a goatherder and all goats look the same.
Charming.
Perhaps your admitted inability to discern is a matter of depth perception.
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." -- 2 Corinthians 4:-6"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
As far as I know, PUBLIC confession in the worship service (as opposed to private confession to a priest, who alone supposedly can grant absolution) IS a long time part of Calvinist worship, and completely in line with the Regulative Principle. No one is saying that the Church is granting absolution, rather that forgiveness is given by God alone. In the conservative Presbyterian churches I've attended corporate confession as part of the worship service is not unusual at all.
As to the RP: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:16a (ESV))
One more thing: Calvin was fine about celebrating the parts of the Church calender that directly had to do with Jesus (Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost) just wanting to dump all the extraneous Saint's holidays the Roman church had added--saying they took the focus off of Christ. It was the Puritans, along with their stern version of the regulative principle (not practiced by Calvin) who banned all Christian holidays, including Christmas and Easter, and of course, Lent too.
Personally, I like Calvin better than the Puritans...
Yes, that's my understanding. Thanks for the good history lessons. 8~)
Don't be to tough on the Puritans. They fled persecution and because of their experience we ultimately founded a nation that separated church and state.
"Wherefor thou art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou dost the same things which thou judgest.
For we know that the judgement of God is, according to truth, against them that do such things."
Paul to the Romans 2:2
Glad you liked the goat metaphor. Personally, I'm with the sheep washed in the Blood of the Lamb.
Come home before thou die of thirst and hunger!
Have a great weekend!
I appreciate your concern, but I am home and well-fed by the Scriptures, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
WoW! Calvinists using a Church of England form of Confession.
Looking at their site, it looks like they are CRC - and we know what direction they are heading at a rapid pace.
I'm not too hard on the Puritans, as I know they were in a tough historical circumstance. However many parts (at least the more extreme parts) of their theology reflect that extreme persecution they faced, and are reactive.
We don't face those kind of circumstances today--and so shouldn't be bound by Puritan conclusions. Calvin, in my opinion, had a more balanced approach.
The Puritans though are my brothers, and I fully expect to see most of them in glory...in high places too.
"WoW! Calvinists using a Church of England form of Confession."
The founders (Cranmer, Ridley, Hooker, et al.) of the Church of England, AND its founding documents (original Book of Common Prayer, and the 39 Articles) were very Calvinist, actually.
Don't forget that the Westminster Confession was also a creation of C of E divines (dominated by the Puritans at that time, admittedly) even if never adopted by the C of E.
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