Into the Wilderness of Lent

Prayers to pepper weekly worship with possibility

The wilderness, as defined in the Dictionary of Feminist Theologies, is a “place of desolation, exile, danger and death.” It’s not a place that we know. It’s not a place we’ve ever chosen to be or if we’ve been there, we’ve tried to get out as fast as we possibly could. We’d rather do anything we can to avoid this “unpredictable and destructive” place.

It’s the wilderness that Jesus inhabits for the 40 days of Lent but the Revised Common Lectionary only really allows us to explore that terrain on the first Sunday. After that, the stories we share through Lent wander to other places. We don’t stay there maybe because we don’t want to stay there. We’d rather be anywhere else except that it feels like that is exactly where we are in the United States of America right now. We are in an unknown wilderness. Nothing is certain and we have no idea how to leave. We are stuck in this place and everything feels like death.

Photo by Cornelia Munteanu on Unsplash

Burn It All Down

Ok, maybe not the best heading but it’s what this wilderness feels like. I am wondering what will come out of the ashes after California burned for so dang long and the United States seems to be going down in flames. Ash Wednesday gives us a rare moment to play with fire and I just so love this ritual.

This was my very favorite thing that I wrote in the pandemic so that it’s hard to imagine anything else. But, if you want to practice fire safety away from the context of worship, I encourage you to make your own ashes. It’s such a great prayerful moment.

If I were to imagine anything else right now, it might be to share in this creative prayer experience from Spacious Faith.

Wilderness Prayers for Lent

If we are already here, and this is the place that we find ourselves in history (and not just American history as extremism increases around the world), how do we find words for this place? What would it mean to explore this place throughout the whole season? Here are some prayers that might be used, whether they are repeated week to week or just used once:

• Into the Wilderness Call to Worship by Joanna Harader

• Dialogue with the Tempter by Maren Tirabassi

• Wilderness Prayer by Devon Spier

• Bidding Prayer for the Wilderness Journey by Rachel Keefe

• Lenten Blessing into Lent by Roddy Hamilton

• Temptation of Christ by John Birch

• A Blessing for the Wilderness by Jan Richardson

• Wilderness Places Confession by Moira Laidlaw

That dialogue would be amazing to adapt for each week of Lent. What would the Tempter have to say each week to interrupt and disturb us? That enough might keep us in the wilderness. Likewise, in a season when so many will need blessings, it would be wonderful to repeat Jan Richardson’s words each week especially in churches where communion is shared weekly.

If you are looking for more ideas for Lent this year, here are a few of what I’ve written that feels to speak to the moment we are in now. Some of them are old and written during the pandemic and surprisingly speak to this moment. Some are fresh and new as we step into the wilderness together again:

• Affirmation of the Wilderness (Lent 1C)

• Call to Worship (Lent 2C)

• Call to Worship (Lent 3C)

• Invocation (Lent 4C)

• Confession (Lent 5C)

• Wilderness Communion for Lent

Easter Awaits

Resurrection feels far off at this moment and yet it will come. It always comes. The worst thing is never the last thing. There will always be more and as I look at what exists in my archives, it’s clear that the entire Easter season needs some prayers.

There are no prayers in my archives for Year C and so I’m wondering what we hope to find on the other side of the wilderness. Not just on that one day of celebration when Christ rises again, but how do you keep finding that promise in the weeks that follow? How would you know that resurrection is real? How might it feel this year? What might you hope to see in the world around you?

Into the Wilderness of Words

I did a crazy thing in the beginning of this new year and decided that I could write a book. I won't just think about it. I’ll let go of the fear and questions and write one the books that is within me. There are several, it seems, so I’m glad to be walking with the amazing Angela Yarber of the Tehom Publishing Center to realize my first book.

If you are a writer, and you are most likely in ministry, I commend this program to you. It’s amazing what it offers and the support is just incredible. I feel so blessed and would love to support other writers in finding their way into realizing their dreams too. And if you’re curious how my writing is going, there are a few peeks into my first drafts over on Prayer Threads.

Prayers for you in the Wilderness

This world is full of uncertainty and this song was a balm to my soul when I heard it yesterday. I pray it is for you too. It is brave thing that you are doing to pastor right now. Preach the good news, dear one. We need to hear it. Remind us what love can do and I’m so glad that you are a guiding light through all that is unknown right now. Thank you for your work, dear pastor.