Tag: Lent

Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared tor Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sıns, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Saviour, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance, by prayer, fasting and alms-giving and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.

(Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

5th Sunday of Lent 2021
  1. Call to Worship: From Psalm 51.
  2. Response: “Lord Have Mercy”, from “Wednesday Vespers – Sanctified 2018 Tacoma”, uploaded to YouTube by Pacific Lutheran University, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  3. First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34, King James Bible.
  4. Psalm 51
  5. Second Reading: Hebrews 5:5-10, World English Bible.
  6. Hymn: “Ah Holy Jesus”, Immanuel Congregational Church in 2013, available in the public domain at Archive.org.
  7. Gospel: John 12:20-33, World English Bible.
  8. The Lord’s Prayer: From Matthew.
  9. Blessing:  From Second Corinthians.
  10. Grigorio Allegri (1582-1652) “Miserere Mei”, performed by Trinity College Dublin, in public domain at Archive.org..

The Bible passages were recorded by Librivox, and are in the public domain. Readings correspond to the Revised Common Lectionary. All audio files are given with attribution where known.

4th Sunday of Lent 2021
  1. Opening Sentence: From Isaiah 66:10.
  2. Hymn: “Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal One, Have Mercy” (Trisagion), From OrthodoxMusicOnline, used in accordance with Creative Commons license.  
  3. First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9, King James Bible.
  4. Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22, King James Version.
  5. Second Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10, World English Bible.
  6. Hymn: “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”, Faith United Presbyterian Church, 2015, in the public domain at Archive.org.
  7. Gospel: John 3:14-21, World English Bible.
  8. The Lord’s Prayer: From Luke.
  9. Blessing:  From Numbers.
  10. Organ Postlude:  Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707) “Toccata in D, BuxWV 144,” performed by Tigran Buniatyan on the Flentrop opus 1974 organ, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.

The Bible passages were recorded by Librivox, and are in the public domain. Readings correspond to the Revised Common Lectionary. All audio files are given with attribution where known.

3rd Sunday of Lent 2021
  1. Call to Worship: From Psalm 51.
  2. Introit: Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) “Kyrie” from Missa (4V C maj), by unkown choir, uploaded to YouTube by “Free Music Tube”, used in accordance with Creative Commons license.
  3. First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17, King James Bible.
  4. Psalm 19: 1-8, King James Version.
  5. Hymn: “O Worship The King” sung by the Choir of Pilgrim Mennonite Mission in 2015, uploaded to YouTube by Bhepure Isidoro, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  6. Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, World English Bible.
  7. Organ interlude: “Jesus, Lover of My Soul”, played by Diane Bish on the organ of Gloucester Cathedral, excerpted from “The Joy of Music: Hymns and Sacred Songs from Word of God”, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  8. Gospel: John 2:13-22, World English Bible.
  9. The Lord’s Prayer: From Matthew.
  10. Blessing:  From 2 Corinthians 13.
  11. Organ Postlude:  Joseph Rheinberger () “Fughetta in c-minor no.2” op. 123A. Played by Joey Wetzels on the Vermeulen organ (1955) St. Martinuskerk Tegelen, uploaded to YouTube by Joey Wetzels, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.

The Bible passages were recorded by Librivox, and are in the public domain. Readings correspond to the Revised Common Lectionary. All audio files are given with attribution where known.

Second Sunday of Lent 2021
  1. Introit and organ prelude: André Raison (c.1640-1719) – Messe du 3º Ton – “Kyrie eleison” (Lord, Have Mercy), performed by Jean-Patrice Brosse (orgue) and Ensemble Vox Cantoris; uploaded to YouTube by “Pau NG” and used in accordance with Creative Commons license.
  2. First Reading: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16, King James Bible.
  3. Psalm 22:23-31, King James Version.
  4. Hymn: “The God of Abraham Praise”, sung in a live service in 2017 at the shrine of the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, used in accordance with Creative Commons license.
  5. Second Reading: Roman 4:13-25, World English Bible.
  6. Organ interlude: Henry Coleman (1888-1965): Excerpt from “The Word of God”, Posted by “Chordis & Organo, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  7. Gospel: Mark 8:31-38, World English Bible.
  8. The Lord’s Prayer: From Luke.
  9. Blessing: The “Aaronic blessing” from Numbers 6.
  10. Organ Postlude:  Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748) “Herzlich tut mich verlangen / O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden” performed by Jens Engel, uploaded to YouTube by him, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.

The Bible passages were recorded by Librivox, and are in the public domain. Readings correspond to the Revised Common Lectionary. All audio files are given with attribution where known.

First Sunday of Lent 2021
  1. Hymn: “Holy God, Holy Almighty, Holy Immortal One, Have Mercy” (Trisagion), From OrthodoxMusicOnline, used in accordance with Creative Commons license.
  2. First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17, King James Bible.
  3. Anthem: Henry Purcell (1659-1695) “Remember Not O Lord Our Offenses”, unknown choir, available in public domain at Archive.org.
  4. Psalm 25: 1-10, King James Version.
  5. Anthem: Psalm 25 v 6, sung by Northern Presbytery Choir, uploaded to YouTube by Sean McPherson, used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  6. Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22, World English Bible.
  7. Organ interlude: Henry Coleman (1888-1965): Excerpt from “The Word of God”, Posted by “Chordis & Organo, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  8. Gospel: Mark 1:9-15, World English Bible.
  9. The Lord’s Prayer: Chanted by unknown congregation, uploaded to YouTube by “LabourerFaith”, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.
  10. Blessing: From Romans.
  11. Organ Postlude:  Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (1583 – 1643) “Canzona Post Il Comune”, performed by Joshua Sobel, uploaded to YouTube by him, and used in accordance with Creative Commons License.

The Bible passages were recorded by Librivox, and are in the public domain. Readings correspond to the Revised Common Lectionary. All audio files are given with attribution where known.

“Jesus is the answer!” So proclaims numerous road signs, Facebook posts, and bumper stickers. For those posting such things, it is an expression of their faith, of their confidence in Jesus. It a touchstone of peace and happiness for them and perhaps also for many who see it–but not for everyone. To a great many others, this statement provokes rather a sense of bewilderment, and begs a follow up question: “If Jesus is the answer, then what is the question?”

This thought brings to my lips a smile as I recall the analogous situation in Douglas Adams’ humorous Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which a planet-sized super computer named “Deep Thought” was constructed and directed to come up with “the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything”. The program ran for millions of years, and finally returned an answer: “42”. Unfortunately neither the Deep Thought nor his designers knew what the ultimate question happened to be. The pan-dimensional beings seeking this answer were then forced to construct another planet-sized super computer to figure out the ultimate question.

Ash Wednesday is a Christian celebration that reminds us of the question for which Jesus is the answer. Or, more accurately, we are reminded of the problem for which Jesus is the solution; That is, the problem of death:

“Remember, o man, dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return.”

Thus intones the priest in many a ceremony as ashes are imposed upon the foreheads of penitent Christians, these words echoing God’s curse in Genesis 3, pronounced upon humankind as punishment for sin.

Death is literally the bane of our existence. It destroys all that we hold dear. Try as we might to banish it from our thoughts, death catches us all. We recoil from it as we simultaneously yearn for permanence and significance. The idea of the extinction of our consciousness into an eternal nothing is difficult for us to fully grasp, for “God has set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Death is universal. We all die, because of our sin. Death is universal because sin is universal.

Fortunately, Ash Wednesday is merely the prelude to Easter. Whereas Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality, in essence saying, “Ye are dead”, Easter tells us: “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

The good news of Christianity is that God has set eternity in our hearts for a reason. It isn’t a dreadful taunt, or a meaningless musing. Jesus, the Christ, has died our death, in order that we might live his life. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

As the old Easter canticle proclaims:
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.”
(This comes from 1 Corinthians 15)

Jesus’ resurrection from death foretells our own liberation from it, and not only in the future, in an eternity after physical death. We may be liberated from its shadow, and its dread, and its power over us even in this life.

In the light of this good news, St Paul exults in his first letter to the Corinthians: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

As John Donne, the 16th century poet we recently profiled, elaborated so eloquently:

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

(Sonnet X)

“I feel like I shouldn’t have given up anything for Lent”, a patient said to me the other day.  In the midst of a global pandemic, Lent seems to have taken on a new life. As state and local bodies take drastic actions to curb the transmission of COVID-19, we all suddenly find ourselves in a state of government enforced deprivation and fasting.

Many of us are all but confined to our homes.  Travel is restricted, and spring vacations canceled. Schools are closed.  Churches are closed.  Restaurants, theaters, bowling alleys, and museums are all closed.  In grocery stores, masked customers flit about nervously looking for supplies that have sold out, such as eggs or toilet paper.  Some people are lucky enough to have work that is deemed “essential”, while others are furloughed and applying for unemployment.  The social fabric seems to be ripping apart. Accustomed to a land of plenty, we Americans now find ourselves struggling with privations that are alien to us.

Meanwhile, by coincidence, a large segment of faithful Christians are observing Lent. Lent was conceived as a season of fasting, discipline, and self-sacrifice leading up to Christianity’s holiest and most joyful commemoration, namely Easter.  The point of the fasting is to get past ourselves and our own desires, and to intensify our realization of our need for God and his work in our lives.

Whether voluntary or involuntary, this time of deprivation can either be a miserable mess, or it can be something we can see through eyes of faith as a kind of blessing.  The meaning of Lent, and of the tribulations brought on by the COVID-19 Pandemic, can best be summarized in a statement passed along to me by a friend: “When we come to the end of ourselves, we see the beginning of God’s faithfulness.”

Today is the Friday before Palm Sunday, and it is a day that as far as I know has no particular name on a church calendar. It is just another day in Lent, that season of fasting and penitence that in many traditions of Christianity precedes Easter. In exactly one week we will have one of those days which does have a famous name, “Good Friday”, which will commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. The great pageants and commemorations coming in the next week will be a liturgical—and potentially emotional—roller coaster for Christians around the globe.

Palm Sunday looks back to “The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem, just before his death, when adoring crowds waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” as Jesus entered the city. In many churches these ceremonies take on almost a cheerful and festive tone, a kind of foretaste of Easter. The rest of Holy Week reverts back to the solemnity of Lent, with Good Friday being a focal point—we look back through the corridor of time to Jesus lifting his bloodied head one last time as he hangs from those dreadful crossed planks; He cries out in a loud voice as he slumps into death, and the land is covered in an eerie blackness. By Easter Sunday, the tomb of Jesus is empty and churches explode into full-on celebration. Even fairly dormant mainline Protestant churches will, for one glorious day, be overflowing with people. Some of their left-leaning pastors will even deign to choke out an orthodox sermon for the occasion.

A part of me is glad for the coming of Easter. Austerity, discipline, and penitence are not always fun. I am sitting here at what could be “happy hour”, sipping tea in place of my usual Manhattan or Gin and Tonic, because one of my own Lenten observances is to give up alcohol; in just over a week I’ll permit myself to enjoy those libations again.

Lent is, of course, a voluntary observance. It’s not something you’ll find in the Bible. You can have Christianity without it, and many people do. Still, I appreciate Lent. It may not be “fun”, but it is spiritually enriching. I embrace it willingly, and even look forward to it. I feel that I get an enhanced sense of clarity and perspective, even joy, from the increased attention to my spiritual well-being. Even though the Christian life is a 24 hr/day, 365 day-per-year endeavor, I yet find it useful to have seasons that focus our energies in particular ways.

By not drinking that Manhattan, my mind is almost forced to obey the command of Colossians 3:2: “Set your affections on things above.” It must be something akin what a runner feels when training—All that exercise and giving up sweets has had its benefits.

So, I will raise my glass of ice tea to you as a toast. There’s still some time to fast and pray, if you feel so moved, before the dawn of Easter.

that dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return”

(Words upon imposition of ashes, Ash Wednesday)