A Holy Lent

Do you ever have "one of those weeks"?  Seems that's been true of a lot of people lately.  It's certainly been true of me for the last couple of weeks.  Suddenly spring is blooming all over the place and there's a lot of sneezing and coughing and itching going on.  Between sickness and this busy time of year, it becomes easy to justify our Lenten disciplines in their flight out the window.  And with them goes the blog we started.  But, God gave a little push today to get back on here and I remembered the little reminder posted on my fridge: "Finish what you start."  (advice from Biggest Loser trainer, Bob.) 

Finish what you start.  Perhaps those are words of advice for this season of Lent.  We start out Lent with determined discipline and somewhere along the way, our determination wanes and we find ourselves almost to Holy Week, rubbing the sleep from our eyes as Jesus says "Could you not stay awake with me even one hour?"  But such is the discipline of Lent.  Returning to the Lord, time and time again.  Coming empty, broken, ready, waiting.

And so we come...  We come to pray... 

A Holy Lent (adapted from John Pritchard, Leading Intercessions, p.71)

Gracious Lord, in what’s left of this season of Lent and in this Holy Week, help us to aim high as we seek to renew the discipline of our discipleship.  May we take up the best and give up the rest, knowing your mercy and grace in all things.

From all self-seeking, self-promotion and self-indulgence;
from all self-pity, self-glorification and selfishness;
from all self-hatred, self-harm and self-destruction,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

From all that would keep us from going to church;
from all that would stop us from reading your word;
from all that would keep us from receiving the sacrament,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

From the laziness that would stop us before we begin;
from the carelessness that would mean we do it poorly;
from the impatience that would mean we wouldn’t finish,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

From all that would limit our loving of our neighbor;
from all that would limit our loving of God;
from all that would spoil our attempt to be faithful, loving and just,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

By the disciplines of Lent and the encouragement of others;
by the Body of Christ and the sharing of lives;
by the desire of our hearts and the need of our souls,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

By your agony and trial;
by your cross and passion;
by your mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

By all we attempt, strengthened by you;
by all that we long for, fed by you;
by all that is in us, blessed by you,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

In every ordinary day of this Holy Week;
in every temptation to follow the crowd;
in every attempt to justify our compromises,
Gracious Lord, deliver us.

Give us Lord the blessings of this holy Lent, true journeying in Holy Week, and give us a holy and glorious Easter.  Give us time to receive your teaching and to amend our lives, give us faith to be open to the graceful filling of your Holy Spirit, and finally give us leave to come to your eternal joy.  

Holy God, Gracious King, have mercy on us, we pray.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.