JUST IN TIME!
Prayers for Lent and Holy Week
Edited by
David Neil Mosser Sr.
with
Estee Carel Valendy
Abingdon Press
Nashville
JUST IN TIME! PRAYERS FOR LENT AND HOLY WEEK
Copyright © 2010 by Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, 201 Eighth Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37202-0801, or e-mailed to [email protected].
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Prayers for Lent and Holy Week / edited by David Neil Mosser Sr. ; with Estee Carel Valendy.
p. cm.—(Just in time!)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4267-1031-5 (binding: pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Lent—Prayers and devotions. 2. Holy Week—Prayers and devotions. I. Mosser,
David, 1952- II. Valendy, Estee Carel.
BV85.P73 2010
242'.34—dc22
2010042939
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
With loving-kindness to the young ministers of the
Central Texas Annual Conference of The United
Methodist Church and a leader who inspires them:
Bishop John Michael Lowry
Contents
Introduction
Ash Wednesday
First Sunday in Lent
Second Sunday in Lent
Third Sunday in Lent
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Appendix A: Communion Prayers for Lent and Holy Week
Appendix B: Lenten Lectionary
Introduction
Simply put, this is chiefly a book of liturgical prayers for use in public worship by the community of faith. These prayers are for occasions of the Christian year when the church journeys thorough the darkest moments of the Jesus story as Jesus is on his way to the cross. These prayers not only prepare for the "shadow of death" times but also help believers anticipate the joy of Easter's promise. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. For most churches the Lenten observance ends on Good Friday, although technically it extends through the Easter vigil or in some traditions Holy Saturday. In our worship experiences we reflect on the profundity of Jesus' passion and death, and anticipate his decisive resurrection. As we ponder these aspects of Jesus' humanity, we therefore consider our humanity too. Consequently Lent is the time of the liturgical year when Christians explore together what it means to be fully human.
As we observe human life reflected in modern culture, many individuals appear increasingly more disconnected and more privatized. If this is true, then public worship also may be on the wane, as are other modes of long-established community behavior. Perhaps an element of this individualistic tendency pertains to personal computers and cell phones that no doubt contribute to introverted behaviors not common thirty years ago. In other words, people today have multiple options from which to choose in order to disengage from community life.
Further, in terms of faith community, we regularly hear people suggest that they are "spiritual" but not "religious." Despite a spate of self-medicating spirituality that has run amok in our culture, there is a faithful and tradition-observing segment of our church culture that still believes not only in private but also deliberate public prayer. Abingdon Press's intention for this specific volume in the Just in Time! series is to provide resources for communal prayer for those who lead and participate in public worship during Lent and Holy Week. These forty days tend to be when the church is at its most self-reflective best.
In our fast-paced world most of us know what it is like to have too much to do and seemingly too little time in which to do it. It is often easy enough for us to let the most momentous parts of life slip by the wayside. Our fervent mantra is mañana, or tomorrow, as we who live near the United States' southern border are fond of saying. We will attend to these weighty matters and events tomorrow, or perhaps the day after that. But during the season of Lent we humans face questions about life and death that, in many respects, we cannot put off. Lent questions are not simply questions asked during Lent. Rather we ask Lent-type questions at the scene of an automobile accident, in the parlor of a funeral home, in an ambulance en route to the emergency room, or at the bedside of a stricken patient. These questions are ones that when they come cannot be put off!
Sometimes people have the spiritual gift of prayer. But whether prayer is our gift or not, we, like the disciples, each implore Jesus: "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples" (Luke 11:1). We need to have models for prayer—especially at times when it is difficult for us to form our words to God and focus our attention on God. Yet, Lent is a time given to us for exactly this purpose. We learn to pray in the community as we prepare for the Lord's vindication. Lenten prayer is the crucible for authentic faith.
The prayers offered here as models aim for honesty and integrity before God. Few of these prayers are akin to a "wish list," but are rather sincere words addressed in concert with other worshipers who desire a deeper commitment to one another and to God. Recently I heard an unusual but earnest prayer. The prayer merely was this: "Dear Lord, help me be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. Amen." We have all heard many prayers, and my guess is that this prayer is about as honest as most people could ever muster. Honest prayer makes us open and vulnerable before God and God's mercy.
Accordingly God calls us to be most honest with ourselves and with the divine during the penitential season of Lent. In Lent we also worship ritually with our sisters and brothers in the faith. Many contemporary believers forget to appreciate that when a congregation prays together it shares in a centuries-old ritual. As we offer God our prayers, we reaffirm our bold belief that God hears the prayers of God's people. At times, no doubt, each of us has attended churches where we profoundly sensed the boldness and confidence of the people's prayers. The ritual of prayer is one way we enact our