Does Lent Still Matter?
With Lent just two weeks around the corner, I’m curious how your congregation is observing it. How does the sanctuary change? Are there different pieces of art? Different paraments? Do you have a sermon series or theme for the season? Do you prepare and/or use Lenten devotions. Do you have Wednesday services in Lent? A soup supper? How are these attended? And what about education? Is there a special adult or youth education emphasis for Lent? Do you have an adult forum series or book study?
From the earliest time of the church, Lent has been a time for instruction in the faith. In fact, the season began as a time for those who wished to join the Christian faith to enter into a particularly focused time of reflection, penitence, and study before committing themselves to Christ at the Easter vigil service. Indeed, the rest of the church year grew out of and around this season of preparation.
And most of the traditions that our congregations have observed – Wednesday night services, quieter and more reflective Sunday worship, sermon or adult forum series, contemplation of the cross of Jesus – stem from these practices.
But in recent years, however, with hectic family calendars and personal schedules and a diminished “liturgical imagination,” churches have had a harder time finding support for all that would have been assumed to be an “essential” part of Lent a generation ago. Which is why I’m curious – what do you do for Lent? And, more pointedly, does Lent still matter.
What, I mean, does Lent mean to you? Does it convey anything to you? What elements of the season make the strong impression? Does it prepare you to celebrate Easter or does it “stand alone” as a season or does it hardly register?
I think these are important questions because while the whole of the church year was designed to teach the Christian faith, many of those elements are not well understood or even confusing and for this reason not terribly effective. Which has many churches wondering whether the additional time and preparation that go into planning a season like Lent are worth it.
Of course, some congregations have found the ebb and flow of the seasons very helpful for emphasizing different elements of the Christian faith. These congregations plan Lent (and perhaps Advent, Epiphany and/or the Easter season as well) with some intentionality, working to distinguish the music and “feel” of the service and focus on teaching in the preaching and study of the congregation.
So, again, I’m curious, what do you do for Lent? Does it still matter to you? What might we do to make it more meaningful? These are real questions, and I hope we can prompt another great discussion.
Okay, last thing: I’m fairly terrible at self-promotion, much to the chagrin of my publisher. But if you haven’t yet figured out what to do for Lent (I know, I know, I should have written this post a month ago), I’d make bold to suggest reading Making Sense of the Cross in study groups, as a Bible study, or alone. You can find it at Amazon
However you celebrate it, let me simply say that I hope you have a meaningful and blessed Lenten season.
new local congregation / location, new season
I won’t go into a ton of detail, but simply endorse your plug. Our mid-week Lenten worship services (which were preceded by soup provided by a catering service from within the congregation’s folks) was centered on Making Sense of the Cross and it was tricky to fit everything in (the content is substantial), but offered a great entry point for adults into the theories and struggles around the cross. Worship was designed specifically for those mid-week services which emphasized prayer and reflection around the Cross theme for the night. It was great stuff.
Last year David I did use your book on Making Sense of the Cross as the basis for our mid-week Lenten discussions. Since I am in a new call now and we using our Mid-week Lenten soup suppers/Holden Evening Prayer/and Holy Conversations as the startup of our strategic planning process. In the past we have created our own Lenten devotional booklet but not this year. I am emphasizing instead of giving something up for Lent to add something, that being attending midweek Lenten services and the series of Holy Conversations that will happen following Ash Wednesday. The basis for the five conversation is Robert Schnase book, “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations.” Each week every small group will write a letter to the Strategic Planning Team based on the format of the letters in the Book of Revelations to the churches, we commend you (on the topic of the night) for these things and we are concerned (on the topic of the night) about these things. The SPT will then take all those and begin to formulate a set of goals for the congregation for the next 3-5 years. I am looking forward to the experience and hope people will want to turn out as we shape the ministry and mission of Hope Lutheran for next 3-5 years.
David,
Your post today, on “Lent, Does it Matter?” is appropriate, because this week, I just about went off the deep end in regards to our church (meaning the one that my husband and I, co-pastor together), as I asked the same question about the church. Fewer and fewer families are coming and I’ve heard this statement over and over again, “Worship doesn’t matter. My kids don’t want to go. We have lots of other activities we are involved in.” Everything that was my model for “the church” has been completely been blown apart by technology and the vast change that has taken place culturally over the last 15 years. I’ve been out of seminary for fourteen, ordained for twelve years and everything has changed in those years.
Even my bestfriend from college, whose parents were ELCA missionaries in Tanzania, was raised in the church, and is a faithful church goer, found herself and family reflecting on the fact that they are missing four Sunday mornings of worship in January and February because of basketball tournaments that her middle schoolers are in. She feels guilty, but didn’t want to take her kids out of the basketball tournaments. I can’t judge her just because she isn’t in church, as she’s one of the most faithful church people I know! As I talked to her last night, she said, “Emily, maybe traditional worship on Sundays will only last a few years longer. I don’t think anyone is going to go to traditional church worship, just because. They’ve got other choices to be involved in. Why does corporate worship happen in the way it does? It’s not really all that biblical, for people met for worship and the Word in houses back then. We are at a major turning point and I don’t think that things will continue to run, the way they’ve always run. We’re all starting to see that now.”
So, it leaves me wrestling and pondering, is what we are doing “dying”? (Yes, I know it is….:) How do we pastors grieve what once was and yet, remain hopeful about what God is up to in the church? I’ll be honest, but I’ve focused my preaching, worship, Family Sunday School hour and ministry on practical ways to make faith and daily life connect. I’ve tried to be creative and energetic and passionate about engaging people in conversations about God’s Word and what it means for them every single day. But, I’m not sure how much longer I can be the force in this, when our congregation and community are chosing less and less to be engaged, simply because they have a vast amount of other choices. Everything about engaging your people to be leaders hardly fits, because people have simply begun the process of not coming or showing up sporadically, which for them has become the normal of “being active” in a church.
When my husband and I were serving in Washington State, there was a book out, called “The None Zone”, about how there is a great lack of “church” in WA, OR, and Alaska. It felt like a missionary field there, but now in MN, it’s beginning to feel like that here and people are recognizing that the church has less of a presence in the community. I’ve had one wedding in the last year. Funerals are taking place in the funeral home and perhaps not at all. I don’t mean to sound like “we’re all doomed”, but I’m trying to hold onto hope that what we are doing matters…..that Lent does matter….that church matters. Does it?
During the season of Lent, our church is using Rich Melheim’s “Practicing the FAITH 5”, teaching people to build upon the FAITH 5 (Share highs and lows, read scipture, reflect, pray and bless). Our Lenten services have been not well attended, but they continue to be “required” for confirmands. So, we are teaching, and hopefully engaging people with an experience of reflecting on where God is in our daily life. Does it matter? I’m not sure. I hope it does. As a parent, I am wondering, with deep questions about how my children will understand what the church community is and how it will change in their lifetime. I wonder, if I will still have a job as a pastor in 10 years from now. I know, I know, I have to worry less and trust God more…..but the church is changing and I feel like I’m walking with a blindfold on. Does Lent matter? To me, yes, but to my community, I’m not sure if it does,especially for those under the age of 50. Any other insights, encouragement, thoughts, ponderings and what have you, would be greatly appreciated! I know God is at work….just trying hard to see and it’s hard! Blessings.
How does Lent relate to our lives today? What do we learn from it that anyone cares about? Rather, what new do we have to offer? How do we… make it matter?
After we’ve been on the planet for 35-40 years, the full lifespan of Christ’s day, have we not learned what we need to learn? After hearing the story 25-35 times, is there any sense of expectation left? Is nothing else expected of us?
Now, what good has it done to learn all this? Is my church actually making a difference that I can feel; taste; touch? Our good works are often so far removed from us that we never have a relationship with those we are helping. Anyone look into the eyes of a Sandy survivor after helping out?
What are those saved by God’s grace supposed to do for the rest of their lives after they recognize salvation? Sing praise? For seventy years?
We are losing people because we do nothing. We ask nothing of them and give them nothing in return. They are saved and seem pretty sure of it without darkening the sanctuary door more than once a month.
I believe it is that simple. Worship is not enough and, actually, never has been and I believe was never intended to be. If Christ is our example, why did he not spend more time in church? Where did his best works take place? Out in the world. Mingling with sinners. Breaking bread with sinners and ne’er do wells. Christ never waited inside the synagogue expecting the world to come to him. His Father sent Him OUT into the world. What the hell are we doing?
If you want to be valued, be relevant.
If you want to find yourself in the midst of great happenings, start making things happen.
I wish this wasn’t comprised of so many questions, but I too am one of those whose sense of the church is dying. Thank God! My problem is I feel called to do something and don’t know what specifically to do. There is a great deal of searching, but I cannot believe that I am the only one that believes we owe a debt of gratitude to our Creator. I also believe that when we spend more time telling the same old stories than we do following the instruction within them, we deserve to be ignored.
Lent has been “uncomfortable” for me for many years. Particularly Ash Wednesday. Growing up in the Lutheran church, I was not used to the imposition of ashes. My catholic childhood friends would chide me and brag about their ashes, which symbolized to them their elevated status.
Fast forward 35 years and my own church began the practice of ashes. It is not something I am at all comfortable with, as I felt like one of the “hypocrites” mentioned in the Bible – reaping my reward by the comments of those observing the newly imposed ashes.
It has been my practice to “add something to Lent, as in more devotions, more caring for my fellow man, and more acts of “random kindness”. For me, it brings home the meaning of Lent
Thoughts?
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville will be hosting David Lose for the second time the weekend of Feb. 16-17 – we’ve Read his two other ‘Making Sense’ books and are looking forward to kicking off the ‘Cross’ series for Lent.
And I’m looking forward to being with you all! 🙂
Lent has taken on new meaning for me personally as a time of spiritual renewal. In particular I have come to love Ash Wednesday, with the permission it brings to be completely myself before God, to be just a human being (sinful, fallible, fragile) before God, and for all of us in community to have this opportunity. When I was younger I hated Ash Wednesday (felt it was a downer) but now as a 50-something I appreciate its honesty. We need this in a world where we are constantly putting on a face for others.
That’s the way we have taken things in the congregation, too, and it has been well received. Our focus is not on giving something up but rather taking on a
We have new altar paraments created by a fabric artist (Carolyn Wagner of Olympia, WA) who created a “living” cross that looks like a gnarled tree.
Okay, add this to the one before. I’m new at this! Wanted to say that we take on a spiritual discipline to deepen our relationship with God. Six weeks is a good length of time for this. Finally, wanted to say we have new Lenten paraments with a tree-like cross amid deep and vibrant hues of purple. This cross communicates life and vitality. We are in the Pacific Northwest, so these paraments also include stones with moss sprouting on them — symbolic for us of spring being on its way.
For years we did a Wednesday Lent soup supper followed Holden Evening Prayer in the fellowship hall and an educational video and discussion. Attendance steadily declined. Last year we tried something new that worked well. We moved to Thursdays when our choir practices. Soup Supper as before, then a 30-45 minute service in the sanctuary with lots of candles. We sing Holden Evening Prayer and include a brief meditation, but the focus is on finding a quiet time of peace and meditation. Then we break and the choir goes on to practice. Attendance is better. I think the greatest need people have is for that time of peace. (Child care is provided to allow this for parents too) That’s all from me!
Thanks for writing, Melinda.
I think the idea of church as a place where “you can really be yourself” is huge, and I think we do Ash Wednesday and Lent a huge service by focusing on its invitation – even demand – to “get real,” stop pretending, and in the stillness of that honesty to hear God say again, “I love you. Not the person you’re planning on being or have promised to be or pretending to be, but the one you really are. That’s the one I love.”
Thanks, again, for sharing your practices and thoughts!
I think that if anything it teaches the youth to have self control and to recognize their vices in life.