Lenten Devotions

Tomorrow we will begin our Wednesday night devo's. We're going to use a devotional from Lutheran Hour Ministries called Time for Renewal. Here's the deal: everyone will get a devotional booklet and a journal to write in. Each day there is a verse from the Bible, a little story, and a short prayer. Participants are to do the daily reading and pray, and then journal their thoughts or what they feel God leading them to write and/or do. I will recommend using Stuart Briscoe's: What? So What? Now What? questions (What is this saying? So what does it mean? Now what will I do as a result?). Then each Wednesday night through Lent we will gather together and share how our journey is going. We are beginning this Wednesday because it is Ash Wednesday. It will come to a close on Maundy Thursday with a feetwashing/communion service.

I have decided that, in keeping with the true meaning of the season of Lent, we should make this a real time of examination; a time of looking at our sin 'in community'/ together. So the tentative Wednesday night agenda is:

• gather together at 7 pm
• have the obligatory brief chit-chat
• begin with a recitation of the Lord's prayer (inserting "sins" for "trespasses")
• give everyone an opportunity to share any insights or questions they may have had from their devotions during the week (if no one feels like sharing, perhaps we will go through that days devotion)
• before dismissing, we will read together Psalm 51
• we will then have a time for prayer, and each person will have the opportunity to pray on their own behalf - more of a confession and repentance-type of prayer (this will not be a time to pray for your aunts, cousins, brothers, dog)
• we will then read together Scriptures of absolution: 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 2:12 (substituting "my sins" instead of "your sins")

My guess is that this will not be a very popular 6-7 weeks. Already there are not very many who were interested in participating. And any time we do a study we always lose people before the end. I realize a lot of it has to do with the fact that I'm not a very exciting small group leader, so I wouldn't be surprised if this one ends up just Jane and I due to the confessional/personal nature (well, I hope it's not just the two of us). But... you know... if that's what happens, that's what happens. I can't really say that "I'm" looking forward to it all that much either. But I think it's what we're supposed to do. So we will.