Lent is for Turning

The Hebrew word we translate to “repent” comes from the root word bwv/shuv which means to turn. To repent is change direction back toward God.  We are going to use this season of Lent to redirect our efforts back toward God, to focus on his presence and not our prominence, to trust his power and less so our privilege, to respect each person instead of a position.

So we have chosen a name for our practice during these 40 days: Lent is for Turning. With packets and brackets and pamphlets and booklets and lots of prayers we will do some of that turning by reading about who has walked the path before us and how that path can turn us into witnesses to the whole world and especially how our Savior walks along with us.     

You should consider joining our Wednesday night study: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John.  You can register and purchase your workbook online at http://meetingjesusinjohn.org/.  The season will be enriched again by our sharing in reading Stations of the Cross on Fridays at noon. 

            Another part of our turning will be right here on Sunday morning.  Both 8 and 10:30 services will include our praying mostly penitential prayers before we do anything else.  We'll use a different entrance rite each week.

Lent 1 -- The Great Litany (chanted)

Lent 2 -- The Supplications, Exhortation with confession

Lent 3 -- Penitential Order with Decalogue

Lent 4 -- Suffrages B, Exhortation with confession

Lent 5 -- The Great Litany from Enriching Our Worship.

Perhaps the most noticeable “turn” will be our changing to a smaller simpler bulletin. It can be used for both 8:00 and 10:30 service and will require all those leading worship beginning with the celebrant, to offer more verbal directions, to help especially those who are less familiar than others with the Book of Common Prayer.  Your own turning will include doing so to help those who are learning to which page to turn for themselves.

Let’s give each other the love and support to do this hard work of turning around toward God, maybe in a new way, maybe in a way long forgotten.  We have much to do that can’t be just more of what we’ve done.  We need to turn, return to God.  Lent is for Turning