These liturgical texts are appropriate for use throughout the season of Lent and may be repeated from week to week.
Sequences of Confession and Lament
1
In Psalm 51 we read that
the sacrifice acceptable to God
is a broken spirit,
a broken and contrite heart.
Let us make this sacrifice together,
confessing our sins
and trusting in God’s steadfast love.
Holy God,
against you alone have we sinned
and done what is evil in your sight.
We lament the ways in which
fear holds us captive,
and we confess its power in our lives.
We lament that so many are hungry.
We confess that we have not
shared our bread,
convinced that we deserve
more than we need.
We lament that so many need shelter.
We confess that we have not
shared our homes,
fearing that would be too dangerous.
We lament the ways
in which our society
is built upon inequality.
We confess that we have not
loosed the bonds of injustice,
fearing that might cause chaos.
Forgive us.
Help us to see as you see.
Help us to do as you would do.
Help us to love as you love.
Help us to trust your Word
in all things. Amen.
Children of God,
know that there is nothing
that we have done or left undone
that God does not already know,
and God still names us Beloved.
Through Christ
we have already been forgiven.
Trust this good news and be at peace.
2
Scripture tells us that all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.
We do not suffer alone in our brokenness;
we are each other’s companions
in our brokenness.
Scripture also tells us that
though we are sinners,
Christ died for us.
Trusting this truth,
let us confess our sins
before God and one another.
God of grace,
we have stumbled from the path
that you have set before us.
We have embraced
a mind-set of scarcity
instead of trusting your abundance.
We have hoarded treasures
to ensure our own comfort
instead of sharing your gifts
with our neighbors.
We have hurt our neighbors
by the things we have done
and through the things
we have left undone.
We have not loved you
with our whole heart, soul, and mind
or our neighbors as ourselves.
Correct us, O God.
In this season of Lent,
remind us of Jesus’ own encounter
with temptation in the wilderness,
and help us follow the example he sets.
Return us to the path you call us to,
and give us the courage
to follow your lead
even when it is difficult. Amen.
In Christ’s own experience
with the struggles of the world
he has compassion upon us.
Christ offers us his compassion
through mercy and forgiveness.
Friends, know that Christ
has forgiven our sins
and invites us into his loving care.
Invitations to Discipleship
1
Jesus’ journey in the wilderness
was the beginning of his ministry,
not the end.
Forty days in the desert
prepared Jesus for a life of service
that led to the cross.
This season gives us the opportunity
to follow in the footsteps of Christ,
preparing to love and serve.
The Holy Spirit has already given us
all that we need to fulfill this calling.
How will we respond?
2
The season of Lent calls us
to intentionally reflect on the loving gift
Christ gives with his life
and his death on the cross.
What shall we do in response to that gift?
Will we recognize and receive it,
following Christ as an offering of gratitude?
God has given us grace.
Let us respond in faith.
Eucharist
Invitation to the Table
Throughout the Gospels
we read stories of Jesus
gathered around tables.
Jesus eats with Pharisees,
tax collectors, and sinners.
He eats with his Mary and Martha,
his disciples and his friends.
He feeds thousands with a few fish
and compares the kingdom of heaven
to a banquet feast.
Just as many meet Jesus
around tables in these stories,
Christ invites us, too,
to gather around this table,
this feast he has prepared.
Christ invites all who will listen
to come and experience God’s abundance.
Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give thanks to you, O God,
for your abundant, steadfast love.
The love that created the world
and all that is in it also calls it good.
Your love dwelled with us in the first garden.
Even when we betrayed your trust
and strayed from your path,
you made your covenant with us,
promising steadfast love.
Each time we have failed
to keep that covenant,
you have forgiven us
and drawn us back into relationship with you.
So we unite our voices
with saints of every time and every place:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
We give thanks for Jesus Christ, your Son,
our sibling and our friend,
who, born among animals,
transforms our ideas
about where kings come from.
We give thanks that his life
continues to reshape how we see the world.
A servant to those
who were often unnoticed in his society,
Jesus calls us to the margins here and now.
He humbled himself and died
to reveal the depth of his love.
He rose that we might no longer suffer
the pain of sin and death.
He will come again in glory
to make all things new.
With thanksgiving, we celebrate this meal
to remember all that Christ has done,
is doing, and will do, proclaiming together, great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died, Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit, O God,
upon these gifts and on all your people,
those gathered around this and every table.
By your Spirit unite our hearts
and minds in service,
that we might truly act
as Christ’s own body in the world.
Nourish us with your steadfast love
and give us the courage and strength
to be your disciples.
Sustain us on our journey
until we join you in glory.
All honor and glory are yours,
God our Creator,
God our Redeemer,
God our Sustainer,
now and forever. Amen.
Prayer after Communion
Almighty God, we give thanks
that by your Spirit
we have been united with Christ
through these gifts of bread and cup.
May they be fuel for our wilderness journey,
and may they empower us
to follow Christ’s example
of what it means to be your servant. Amen.
