Ideas for Lenten Worship

Ways to engage your congregation in worship during Lent

The season of Lent is a forty day period of preparation for Easter Sunday stemming from Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness before he launched his public ministry. It is marked by fasting, prayer, and sacrificial giving. Looking at the historic faith of the Church, Lenten practice has stretched back all the way to the ministry of the apostles and is considered part of Apostolic Tradition that has unfolded over Christian history. By the fourth century, those in the Church preparing for entrance, or catechumens, would participate in Lent as a season of learning and preparation for baptism on Easter. They would make a public profession of faith and in the waters of baptism participate in the death and glorious resurrection of Christ. 

Eventually, Lent became recognized as a time to engage the whole Church in repentance and self-examination to realign ourselves in personal and social holiness with our vows made in our baptism.

Though the nature of Lenten practice has varied through the centuries it has always been a set-apart time of confession, reflection, self-denial, prayer, and fasting (emphasis on fasting). Lent is also a distinct liturgical season allowing the church to bring variety to its normal worship order to focus on spiritual growth. 

Here are some ways to set apart this season as holy in your church:

Move your baptismal font to the entrance of your sanctuary.
Lent is a time for each individual to reflect on the vows made in his/her baptism and recommit to following Jesus. Move your baptismal font close to the door so that congregants can touch the waters of baptism as they come in and leave the sanctuary. I’ve included a Prayer for Illumination and Benediction that includes the act of remembering your baptism as part of worship this season.

Don’t sing or say, “Alleluia!”
The practice of removing “Alleluia” during the season of Lent goes back to the 5th century. “Alleluia“ is the primary expression of praise in the Jewish and Christian faiths. Fasting from using it during lenten worship adds to the penitential nature of the season. Additionally, it makes the Easter celebration more joyous as it is the first word we proclaim as a family of God. Save the “Alleluia” for Easter.

Unplug the instruments and simplify your entire service.
Fasting and reflection is a foundational tenet of Lenten practice. Why not scale back the musical arrangements to align with the simplicity of the season. Unplug and go acoustic. You can even lead your worship team in a Lenten devotional.

Add a prayer of confession to the beginning of every service.
You will find opening sentences and a prayer of confession written for the beginning of every service in the Lenten season.

Use the color purple in your services.
The liturgical color for Lent is purple, symbolizing the royalty of Christ and the depth of his suffering for us. We know that true Kingship is sacrifice and service, and these are fully revealed in our King, Jesus Christ.

Incorporate silence in your worship service.
Silence can be scary at first, but incorporating times of silence can give congregants the opportunity to reflect and listen for the voice of God. There are intentional times of silence written in the prayers of confession for the season. You can also use silence in a multitude of ways in the worship service (prayer, response to the Word, preparation for the Word, etc…)

Include eucharist in every service through Easter.
For those considering going to weekly communion (which is highly Wesleyan), Lent is a perfect time to try it out for a season (and potentially keep it going…). 

Provide Lenten resources for families.
Lent is a perfect time to provide families with resources to help set apart the season in their homes. Included in this Substack is an article with ideas for “The Liturgical Year at Home: Lent.”

Hold intentional congregational fasts. 
This one can be a little bit controversial, but the earliest records we have of Lent include strict fasting. It is woven into the very fabric of the season. Lead your congregation in a corporate fast. It could be fasting one day a week. It could be fasting from social media. The early church required worshippers to fast until 3 p.m. everyday (the hour when Jesus died). After 3 p.m. they partook in one very restrictive meal. This eventually loosened over the centuries and now it’s more common for individuals to give up something (like sweets or chocolate cake) for the season. 

May God bless you, your ministry, and your congregation this season of Lent as you prepare for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Peace,
Tesia