Prayerscapes
for
Lent
Presented by the Order of Ministry
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia
2015
Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18
Read Joel 2.1-2, 12-17
From Rev. Thaddaeus B. Allen, Regional Minister
God calls us to return with “all your heart,” and to “Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” The good news, Brothers and Sisters, is that we are being called together afresh this Lent. Lent can be a very powerful time of renewal for the faithful. A solemn assembly of God’s very own (infants, youth and those who have the Gift of Years) is called into being. Thus holy Lent is a time of great gathering of Christ’s Church.
The body of Christ is being consecrated again in the great anticipation of God’s grace and forgiveness. We are not just being called into a private time of reflection and examination, although this is never to be underestimated; but we must be mindful that the community of the baptized is being called collectively to turn to God and to avail ourselves of all that God wants us to have and to experience.
Even in the midst of a world that too often times makes no sense, our God calls us home to grace, mercy, halted anger, and abundant steadfast love. Together we are called towards God in these important and life giving holy days. Let us go together.
May we return to you, dear God, with loving and trusting hearts.
May we be made one, and share this gift with your world.
Thursday, Feb. 19
Read Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
From Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional Minister
Almsgiving (charitable giving), prayer, and fasting are the three “classic” disciplines of Lent, and indeed, of the Christian way of living. Each of these can pose a challenge for many of us. But the greatest challenge, it seems, lies in the summary statement of Jesus in this clipping from his “Sermon on the Mount:” how the placement of what we treasure can easily tell the tale of the condition of our hearts.
I’ve often bristled at those who excuse what may be extraordinarily bad behavior or poor choices with “but their hearts are in the right place” (or in my slightly southern upbringing “…bless their heart”). Very often the reality of those mis-steps in life really do expose just how much our hearts can find themselves in quite the wrong places.
Yet the reminder is there for us from the Savior – that our investment of energies, our placement of trust, our “deposits” of charity, prayer, fasting – have a self-revealing quality. We are to place our ultimate trust only in “heaven,” that is, in God alone. There, our confidence finds fulfillment and we can rest in the assurance that our hearts really are in the right place. Any other use of even these long-honored acts of devotion are ultimately only fooling ourselves.
By your grace, O God,
help us to place our trust in you alone,
and learn to rest in your sure provision.
Friday, Feb. 20
Read Genesis 9:8-17
From Valerie Parsons, Co-Pastor
Island Christian Church, Wheeling
This scripture speaks of God’s covenant with Noah, the promise that God would never again destroy all flesh with a flood. The sign of this covenant was a rainbow in the clouds. My family and I, and my husband’s family before us, have lived on Wheeling Island for most of the last century. Wheeling Island is an actual island in the Ohio River and those that live here experience floods on a regular basis. We also experience all kinds of weather as well as quick changes in weather.
One of my favorite stories of “Island weather” happened when the girls were still small. It was during Lent that year and one day I realized it was raining in the backyard and at the same time snowing out front! Awed, I checked to be sure and that’s when I saw the sun come out. We had sunshine and snow and rain simultaneously! I stepped out onto the porch for a better look and saw this huge, vivid rainbow over it all. The weather of our lives may change quickly and often, but God never does. Because unlike a contract based in legalism, God’s covenant is sourced in infinite Love.
God of Love, as we journey through Lent in all kinds of weather,
keep our hearts and minds fixed on you. Amen.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Read 1 Peter 3:18-22
From Rev. Lynn White, Pastor
Mannington: First Christian Church,
Shinnston: Charles Street Christian Church,
and Worthington: Worthington Christian Church
In my second year as a graduate student on the campus of Phillips University Graduate Seminary, we heard the sound of a pistol shot in the hallowed halls of the Marshall Building. To our surprise, it was indeed a pistol shot from a starter pistol that a fellow seminarian had used to make a dramatic presentation for his senior sermon. The use of the pistol was to illustrate how out of place he felt sometimes as a future minister.
Since then, I have often wondered how many people feel the same way in the life of the church. This seems sad to me since our faith has taught us just how much our God loves us. This text reminds us that Christ came “to save the righteous and the unrighteous.” And more importantly, that salvation is timeless and eternal. Whether it was for those going back to Noah, or even those who are lost now. God’s love is omnipresent – meaning then, now, and future. His salvation can be received, if we will accept the grace God extends.
The church needs to accept and proclaim that. In the Lenten season, never forget that God’s grace is only as far away as prayer. May Christ be with you in this season, and beyond.
Help us to accept your gracious love, O God,
and extend your invitation to others. Amen.
First Sunday in Lent, Feb. 22
Read Mark 1:9-15
From Rev. Richard Howard, Pastor
First Christian Church, Morgantown
Let’s concentrate on the words of verse 15 for this meditation: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” The Rev. David Ewart, UCC minister in Vancouver, Canada, comments on his blog, www.holytextures.com, that “believe in the good news” is better translated as “trust into the good news.” It is not an opinion that Jesus seeks from us, but rather a “radical, total, unqualified basing of one's life on his [i.e., Jesus’] good news.” It is a “discover-the-meaning-by-living-into his good news - even to the point of risking being killed for it.” This “trusting into” isn’t an intellectual exercise. And it can’t happen without repentance.
To repent isn’t a call to feel guilty about your ol’ bad self. Rather, to repent is to seek to be transformed, to realign one’s life with “new principles, new beliefs, new understandings, new insights, new objectives, new goals.” Repentance is given by Mark as the first sign of our transformation because our present lives will not live up to his expectations. New life requires the embracing of a new reality. As we make the Lenten journey, may we “live into the good news” and experience the joy of transformation.
O Lord, walk with us on our Lenten journey.
Open our souls to the possibility of transformation,
that your joy may be complete in us. Amen.
Monday, Feb. 23
Read Psalm 25:1-10
From Prayerscapes 2012, by Rev. Daniel Harry, Pastor
Community Christian Church, Beech Bottom
Fuhgeddaboudit! According to the urban dictionary, this word means, among other things, to “forget about it.” In the season of Lent, Christians try to prepare for the coming of Easter by seeking forgiveness for past sins and resolving to live more righteously.
Psalm 25 is a reminder that the people of God have always tried to do this. The Psalmist is asking God to forget about past sins and transgressions and to be judged according to God’s steadfast love. This is more than forgiveness; it is a complete wiping of any history of the events of the past. Love, as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13, “keeps no record of wrongs.” This is what we want from God.
The Psalmist also asks, “teach me your paths.” This Lent we should practice God’s love toward others. More than forgiving, we must completely forget past wrongs.
Guide us toward your divine forgiveness, O God. Amen.
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Read Romans 5.12-19
Guided Meditation from Prayerscapes 2011
by Rev. David Chafin, Deputy Regional Minister
You, O God, are the Giver of life. Search my heart.
[Pause to consider the ways in which God has given freely to you.]
As I have been gifted by you, help me to grow in gratitude.
[How has your life expressed gratitude for God’s gracious gifts?]
Teach me the value of turning away from selfish pursuits,
and of sharing your gifts with others.
[Consider ways in which you can enjoy the freedom from sin
which faith brings to all believers,
and cultivate an awareness of others
and their hungers for freedom, so that you can share with them
the good news of God’s gracious gifts in Jesus Christ.]
O God, receive this day which I offer to you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Read Psalm 32
From Rev. Donald Snyder, Pastor
First Christian Church, Beckley
Unlike many of the quite personal poems found in the Psalter, Psalm 32 does not provide the setting in which David uttered it. Nevertheless, three themes become apparent as the king’s words unfold. Sin is real. No matter how much humanity desires to ignore sin or overlook its power, David makes it quite clear that our transgressions are before us. Moreover, God is the only one who can remove this dividing barrier of sin, and the human components of this process are repentance and confession.
While we may not view suffering as the consequence (the fallacy Job’s three friends accepted), confession is more than merely informing God of one’s sin (He already knows our sins); it is also a turning away from these transgressions to God. This genuine transformation (a turning around to God) allows God’s unfailing providential care, as understood within the context of covenant-relationship, will surround the one who directs their way toward the divine will. The great example of Jesus is His willingness to submit to the Father’s will, whether at His baptism or in Gethsemane, as the means by which we are restored to what is lost by sin: life in the presence of God forever.
O God, may your transforming Spirit
bring me to a new turning toward your perfect will. Amen.
Thursday, Feb. 26
Read Genesis 17:1-7, 15-17
From Rev. X. Rae Browning, Pastor
First Christian Church, Cumberland, MD
The gist of this text is the hope for a future. This we learn in these words of God to Abraham, telling him to place himself in the care of God the Almighty.
First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Cumberland – often imagined as a declining, powerless congregation on the verge of ending – stands to become one which will be serving our Lord through the future. Great concern has hovered over the heads of leaders past and present for what might become of our congregation. We may not have fallen prostrate laughing as Abraham had, struggling to believe the promise of a son and future for generations to come, but holding to our faith as they did, we are creating a Legacy of love and missional outreach that will be perpetuated through the Christian Church Foundation. Cumberland is becoming a “forever church” -- not a building, but a fellowship of faithfulness that will outlive our people.
God is faithful, and will guide us in this life and for generations to come. Yes our numbers are small, but our hearts are big, and we continue to grow in faith every day if we listen and hear, believe and act as Abraham and Sarah did when they were enlisted to receive the covenant and believe in the promises of God. For us, this all comes about through the example of the Living Christ, who continues to walk this earth through all who hold true to faith and serve God by caring for all God’s children.
When things may look bleak, go to the Word and listen to God speaking. God is Almighty, and mighty things he has done and is doing still.
Help us, O God, to trust in you
as we look from an amazing past
toward a promised glorious future in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Friday, Feb. 27
Read Psalm 22:23-31
From Rev. Wesley Howsare, Pastor
First Christian Church, Moundsville
Our scripture passage falls between the first part of Psalm 22, one of the psalms of suffering, and the famous 23rd Psalm, a psalm of the Shepherd’s care. This second part of Psalm 22 gives praise to the Lord and gives assurances that He will keep His promises, one of which is to care for the needy.
So from a Lenten time and Messianic perspective, we have the suffering and death of the sinless One, the praise and worship of the One who overcomes death and suffering, followed in the 23rd Psalm by the way in which the One, the Great Shepherd, cares for His sheep.
Passion Week can be such a roller coaster of emotions for us. At Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services, we weep and are sorrowful for what Our Lord endured before and on the cross—even though we know it was part of the salvation plan for us, part of the way the Shepherd demonstrated His love for His sheep. But then, on Easter Sunday, we rejoice, worship, and praise Him for conquering sin and death, and because He did, we can! We praise Him because He cares for us, and continues to watch over us!