Lent

Lenten Worship

Lenten/Easter Sunday Worship at FCC- 10:55 a.m. each Sunday

Sunday, March 1- “The Lord’s Prayer: Forgive Us Our Sins…”
Sunday, March 8- “The Lord’s Prayer: Lead Us Not into Temptation”
Sunday, March 15- “The Lord’s Prayer: Deliver Us from Evil”
Sunday, March 22- Rev. Dr. Wilson Dickinson preaching
Sunday, March 29- “Dry Bones” (Ezekiel 37:1-14)
Palm Sunday, April 5- “A Better Way” (Matthew 21:1-11)- Churchwide Lunch & Easter Egg Hunt for children following worship
Easter Sunday, April 12- “The Worst Thing Is Never the Last Thing” (John 20:1-18)

Collaborative Lenten Worship Services

First Christian Church will join with 2 other Scott County Disciples congregations- Oxford Christian Church and Newtown Christian Church- for three special worship services:

Ash Wednesday Worship- Wednesday, February 26- 6:30 p.m. – First Christian Church Chapel
Good Friday Service- Friday, April 10- 7:00 p.m. – Newtown Christian Church (5514 Paris Pike)
Easter Sunrise Service (Breakfast following)- Sunday, April 12- 7:00 a.m. – Oxford Christian Church (2785 Oxford Village Lane)

Lenten Studies

In addition to the regular “Sacred Inklings” Sunday school class led by Horace & Willow Hambrick, a Lenten Sunday School class will begin on Sunday, March 1, at 9:30 a.m. and continue through Easter Sunday. The group will be reading and discussing “The Last Week” by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, which explores the events from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. Bob Culbertson and Jessi Jump will be co-leading this group, which meets on the 2^nd floor of the Education Wing. Those interested may purchase the book on their own.

The Wednesday Night Adult Study at 6:30 p.m. will be focusing throughout Lent on “Entering the Passion of Jesus,” using material by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. It too will explore the last days of Jesus’ life, exploring the risks and challenges that are a part of the life of faith. Chris Cash and Christy Messick will be leading this group, which meets in the conference room next to the church offices.

Resources for Lenten Reflection, Prayer, and Practices

Online Devotionals:

Prayer/Reflection Apps for your phone:

Common Prayer- includes morning, midday, and evening prayer options, along with scripture and times of reflection; occasional brief features of historical events & figures from church history
Pray As You Go- a daily audio guide for prayer and reflection (around 10 minutes daily)
Reimagining the Examen- prayers designed to help you reflect on your day using different versions of a prayer practice called the Examen prayer
Morning & Evening Prayer/Mission of St. Clare – prayers taken from The Daily Office prayer practice
d365- daily scripture, devotional thought, and prayer

Books on Prayer Practices & Spiritual Habits/Practices:

Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices- Daniel Wolpert
Practicing Our Faith: A Way of Life for Searching People- Dorothy Bass, editor
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth- Richard Foster

Lenten Daily Devotional Books:

For the Beauty of the Earth- Dr. Leah Schade- combines creation care/stewardship reflection & action with the season of Lent
A Way Other Than Our Own- Walter Brueggemann
Bread & Wine: Readings for Lent & Easter- various authors
The Art of Lent- Sister Wendy Beckett- daily Lenten reflections using works of art (images included)

Books on Communal Confession & Lament:

Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith- Mae Elise Cannon, Lisa Sharon Harper, Troy Jackson, Soong-Chan Rah
Prophetic Lament: A Call for Justice in Troubled Times- Soong-Chan Rah

Lenten Practices

The Season of Lent in the Christian church calendar extends from Ash Wednesday (February 26 this year) to Easter Sunday (April 12 this year). Lent has historically been a time of reflection & confession. Some people choose to “give up” or “take up” something during the season of Lent. These practices aren’t done to earn God’s favor or love, but instead to make more room in our lives to experience God at work. What practices do you want to explore this Lenten season?

Possible things to give up

A grudge- pray daily about something you’re struggling to let go; consider if there is a difficult but necessary conversation you need to have or an apology you need to give
Complaining- seek to remove all complaining from your talk
Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.- be intentional in doing something with the extra time & attention you gain
All liquids but water- donate the money you would have spent on all the other drinks to a group that works to provide access to clean water to places in need (Week of Compassion, for example)
Noise- avoid turning on the radio in your car or anything around the house as background noise; use the silence to pray or think or notice things or have a conversation
Digital distractions- a time-consuming game or other activity/app on your phone- how might you use the time & attention you gain?
Find something in your house each day to give away (and don’t let it all be stuff you won’t miss)
The need to have the last word
Extra purchases- buy only necessities (and if you have to question if something is really a necessity, it’s likely not)- donate the extra money you would have spent
Skip a meal once a week or eat simpler meals on a designated day- give the money you would have spent to those helping address local or world hunger

Possible things to take up

Pray for your enemies each day
Keep a gratitude journal- write down things each day for which you are thankful
Read & reflect on a chapter or section from one of the gospels daily (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) or one of the Psalms daily
Read & reflect on a section of the Sermon on the Mount each day (Matthew chapters 5-7); start over when you reach the end
Explore one or two new prayer practices
Daily use an online prayer guide (www.commonprayer.net or www.sacredspace.ie/daily-prayer ) or app (Common Prayer)
Write a note of thanks to a different person every day- family, friends, fellow church members, neighbors, people from your past, public figures, community servants & workers
Spend at least 10 minutes a day praying the news (use a paper or a news website- notice stories that catch your attention & pray for those involved; consider how you and others might respond)
Educate yourself about a justice need in the world and identify (& do!) one thing you can do to make a difference in that area. Consider how you could join with others to work together. Examples: creation care/climate disruption, lack of access to clean water, criminal justice issues & reform, immigration issues, refugee needs in the world, racial justice, LGBTQ rights & equality, homelessness, poverty. If you need suggestions on resources to get started on a particular topic, feel free to contact Chris.
Each week, seek to have a significant conversation with someone very different from you- in religion, race, gender, orientation, politics, economic status, ethnicity, etc. Ask questions; focus on listening instead of talking, explaining, or defending your own views or perspectives; what do you have to learn?
Invite someone to a meal with you at least once a week
Give a genuine compliment to someone each day- take time to appreciate even the small things in others
Reach out to someone who might be lonely at least 3 times a week with a visit or a phone call
Saying “I’m sorry”- who needs an apology from you? how can you work to mend a broken relationship or heal a hurt?