Lent for the Non-Liturgical

A colleague wrote recently how his church, proudly steeped in free church tradition, was rediscovering the Christian calendar. In particular, a little Lenten liturgy had a profound impact on a people largely unacquainted with the Stations of the Cross.

Here the Lent-informed offer a few ideas for the less liturgical among us.

• Embrace symbols. Lent is a time for quiet contemplation and grievance for sin. Decorate the sanctuary with cracked clay pots and jars to symbolize brokenness. Or give each member of your congregation a small piece of burlap to tear during a time of silent confession, as they did in Bible times.

• Give it up. The traditional Lenten practice of “giving up” doesn’t have to be restricted to food or drink. Encourage your congregation to give up time or money to a local charity. Others may want to abstain from eating out or from their daily latte and donate that money to missions.

• Pare it back. The simplicity of Lent can also apply to our churches. Perhaps your worship music can be sung a cappella or the sanctuary’s decorations placed in storage. One congregation closes the shutters on their windows during Lent, limiting the mental trips outdoors during the service. If you’re really feeling radical, limit the number of extraneous church meetings during Lent. Can the church board postpone their meeting until the 40 days are up?

• Explain the meaning. For those who didn’t grow up in the church or who aren’t familiar with liturgy, Lent has a number of unfamiliar traditions. Use a Sunday morning service to explain the ancient origins as well as some present-day applications. Congregation members can be recruited to share their own “Lent stories.”

• Reach out. Lent is a time of preparation for Easter, so why not use it to invite others to the holy day? Launch a Lenten Evangelism Campaign and encourage your congregation to give Easter invitations to their friends and neighbors. The most enthusiastic can aim for 40 invitations in 40 days.

• Imitate the servant. Touch your neighbors by using the Saturdays of Lent to serve the community. Paint playground equipment, feed the homeless, or do yard work for the elderly. It’s a chance for all ages to help out together.

• Reconcile. Lent is the season of reconciliation between God and man. But man-to-man reconciliation is also important. This Lenten season, encourage congregants to reach out to at least one person they have wronged, or been wronged by, in the past. Then they can add the person to their prayer list for the rest of the year.