Lenten Meditation

Here's a meditation I wrote for our church tomorrow. Feel free to use it if you like it (with attribution) or use as a jumping off point for something else. It's all me except the last two paragraphs, which are from the site listed. That site offers a whole series of meditations for all the weeks of Lent that are really good. I recommend them as well. But here's mine:

A Lenten Meditation on the Beatitudes

(Nine candles are displayed in the center of the circle. A helper will extinguish them throughout the liturgy.)

This Lent, we have used the beatitudes as a way of grounding us in the teachings of Jesus and the promises of God. From the beginning of Christianity, our mothers and fathers in the faith have relied on these seemingly simple words to guide their lives, help them understand God’s will, and direct them into prayer for and suffering with the world.

I would like to lead us, this final week, in each of Jesus’ statements, as a reminder that even in the darkness, and no matter what our station in life, in the Kingdom of God, we are blessed.

At the same time, we enter ever deeper into the darkness of the Lenten season. This is a time of self-examination, when we remember that we are but dust and to dust we shall return. It has also been a time of turning our attention to those around us, and to the needs of our world.

This morning I invite you into the beatitudes: into their surprising blessings, and into their bold proclamation of the kingdom. I will read each phrase, and invite you to repeat it. After each, we will observe a brief time of silent meditation, and at the end I will add some final thoughts and close us in prayer.

(Suggest a body posture for prayer)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Repeat)

Remember the poor of our world, for whom the kingdom of heaven often seems distant and unattainable.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Repeat)

Remember those who are in mourning, who have lost someone or something dear to them. Pray for their comfort.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Repeat)

Let us pray for the meek, who often inherit nothing in this life. How may we advocate for them?
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Repeat)

Praise God for those who seek first his righteousness. May their hunger and thirst become our own. May we be filled.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. (Repeat)

Let us consider those who give of themselves, who sacrifice their own comfort, security – and often happiness – for the well-being of others.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. (Repeat)

Father, purify our hearts, so that we seek only to see you. Even in this darkness, show us the light of your countenance.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Repeat)

The world is a dark and violent place. Often the light of peace seems to be snuffed out. Pray for the peacemakers, the children of God, who fight against the powers of war, persecution, oppression, and selfishness.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Repeat)

Hundreds, even thousands, around the world are suffering for doing what is right, for their religious convictions, for speaking truth to power, for standing in the way of hatred. Pray for their courage, strength, and assurance of the kingdom.
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. (Repeat)

We may never have experienced revulsion or persecution for Jesus’ sake. But when truly faced with the self-sacrificial love of Christ, can this broken world react in any other way? If we are not challenged by others for following Christ, are we truly doing so?
(extinguish candle)

(Silence)

The time is drawing near. Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem. How will we greet him? Will we follow him all the way to the Cross? There is no deeper mystery than this: that the light came into the world, became flesh, and dwelt among us. The light of the world is going out. What will we learn this year in the dark night of the soul?

(Silence)

Let us pray.
Loving God, there are so many choices before us every day. Choices offered by our friends, our families, our culture, our own past. Some of them encourage the well-being of the earth, ourselves and our neighbors; others are destructive. Help us to distinguish between them. May we learn from the choices of Jesus and embody compassion, justice, and inclusion in all we say and do. In his name we pray, Amen.

[Final paragraph and prayer from: http://www.processandfaith.org/resources/worship/Liturgies/LENTEN%20CANDLE%20LITURGY.shtml]