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Some Lenten Contemplations from a 1st Pres Newbie

3/14/2022

4 Comments

 
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 
Picture
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.
​​
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
4 Comments
Katherine Wallenhaupt
3/15/2022 10:59:43 am

Thank you for such a rich and meaningful explanation on contemplative worship. The service always quiets my heart and allows me to draw closer to our Savior.
Katherine W

Reply
Cheryl Broadway
3/15/2022 05:32:07 pm

What a beautiful way to share and explain the Contemplative service. It has become my favorite service, as a time to quiet my mind and find rest for my soul. Thank you for showing some of the service elements. We are lucky to have the Lauer family as part of our church family.

Reply
Carolyn Keefer
3/16/2022 02:27:16 pm

Thank you for not only sharing about the Contemplative service but also what brought your family to becoming a part of our church family. Thank you to all of your family for your involvement as leaders by sharing music and leading in so many ways.

Reply
Charles Branch
3/16/2022 08:36:38 pm

Thank you, Susan. That was well put, and we also enjoy both services from the region upstairs. (And the quiet slower pace of the contemplative, reflective service.

Reply



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  • Home
    • Connect With Us >
      • Prayer Request
      • eNews Archive >
        • 2020 eNews Archive
  • Who We Are
    • Our Mission
    • Leadership & Staff >
      • Job Opportunities
      • Blogs >
        • Blog Archive 2021
        • Blog Archive 2020
    • Elders, Deacons & Ministry Teams >
      • Christmas Families
      • Annual Clothing Givewaway
    • History >
      • Past Ministers
    • What Presbyterians Believe
    • Annual Reports
  • Ministries
    • Children & Families
    • Youth
    • Missions
    • Serve >
      • Choir
      • Church Ministry Teams
      • Ecumenical Kitchen
      • Family Promise
      • Handbell Choir
      • Knitting for Warmth
      • Praise Team
      • Reception Team
      • VBS Planning Team
    • Grow >
      • Book Studies
      • Men's Fellowship
      • Presbyterian Women
      • Sunday Bible Study
      • Women's Circles
    • Connect >
      • Dinners at 6-ish
      • Flying Solo
  • Sundays
    • Classic Worship
    • Contemplative Worship
    • Sermons
  • Giving