Some Lenten Contemplations from a 1st Pres Newbie

Dan, Evan and I have been beautifully blessed by the love of 1st Pres from the moment we walked through the doors in January 2020. From your warm smiles and down-to-earth welcome to the holy flexibility and freedom within the PC/USA as a denomination, our social and spiritual life has been both undergirded and enlarged. We’ll never be able to truly express how thankful we are.

​Soon after beginning attendance, we learned of your 

Susan Lauer

Contemplative Worship service which was one of the 5 Big Moves. As lovers of liturgy, we were delighted at the invitation to help craft this service, all the while participating in the 9:00 service. After a few fits and starts due to COVID, we’ve now been able to keep the fledgling Contemplative service available going on six months. You can even find us on the church website! We are heartened to see folks from many walks of life and different ages begin to visit and participate in the service.

One beautiful outcome of having two services with a common foundation expressed in creatively different ways is that we are seeing our own church members enjoy worship in both services. Dan, Evan and I relish the energy of the first service followed by the quiet of the second service, and the chance to digest Pastor Neal’s sermon again as he presents the same ideas in two very different ways. We love being able to take communion every Sunday.
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Because both services stem from the same essential ideas, there is a synergy between them. For instance, during the season of Lent, our responsive prayer in Contemplative Service is based on the idea that Pastor Neal suggested in his sermon of 2/27, wherein Gratitude produces Repentance (turning away from and turning toward, rather than Penance), and blossoms into Hope. As an example, here is a snippet of the call-and-response during Lent:

Leader:
Holy Spirit, thank you for being above us, below us, behind us, before us, and within us. In your patience and compassion, cause our lives to bear the pure fruit of thanksgiving and faith so that others may taste and see Your goodness and grace.

People:
God, thank you for fulfilling Your promise to provide for our deepest need through Jesus, who perfectly embodied and enacted Your love. This is Good News! In Christ we are accepted, set free, and given a future and a hope.

Leader:
Jesus, You have known us from before the beginning of time. You have known us in the depths of our dreams and in our darkness, as well as in our desire to choose You. Most precious of all, You know us as Your Beloved. We are so grateful.

People:
Lord, may our gratitude lead us to Your highest good for our lives. Thank you for giving us clear ways to follow You.  Micah 6:8 says:  "The Lord God has told us what is right and what God requires: See that justice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey your God."
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If you’ve never experienced Contemplative worship, the service contains elements of quiet music, Lectio Divina reading of scripture, Pastor Neal’s sermon, responsive prayer, and communion every week. Incorporating liturgical elements, minutes of silence, and an intimate atmosphere, the Contemplative Service is especially suited to the inward-looking exercises we are encouraged to practice leading up to Easter.
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If these thoughts intrigue you and inspire you on your Lenten journey, we would love to have you join in to both services during Lent or all year long! Attending first service with a break in the middle for donuts, coffee, and fellowship, followed by the quiet covering of the second service makes for the perfect Sunday for our family. Perhaps it will for you as well!

In His Name, Susan