Intro-to-Lent Youth alt.worship

Here begins my new efforts to blog some of the things I am doing as the Youth Missioner at Church of the Epiphany.

Last night we had a joint Sr./Jr. High worship time to prepare for Lent. The kids really liked it and seemed to get a lot out of it. The service took its shape from the Evening Service of the Daily Office in the Book of Common Prayer. Here's the outline with some links:

• Asked youth to gather in the church's Commons Room if they wanted to hang out for a bit, talk, have some snacks. Asked them not to enter the Parish Hall where the worship space was set up until they were ready to feel quiet and in a mood of prayer and meditation.


• Everyone entered together while the songs "Imperial" and "Freefall" by Robin Guthrie played, some took off their shoes, and we settled into a circle on our couch cushions from the Youth Room. I gave some brief instructions, and then we quieted ourselves while the ambient music eased us into worship.


• The Guthrie ambient selections continued as we began: + In the name of the...


• Opening Sentences: Psalm 16:7,8


• Confession: a brief time of silence, followed by a long-ish call and response confessional prayer


• Phos Hilaron, O Gracious Light was prayed


• Played the song "Transatlanticism," a modern "hymn" by Death Cab for Cutie


• Gospel reading (not in this year's lectionary): Luke 4:1-13, Christ's fast for 40 days and temptation in the desert


• Watched a Quicktime movie that put Si Smith's "40" illustrations to the Doves song "Sulpherman."


• Discussed what images we really liked, what themes they helped to draw out from the Gospel reading, things that surprised the kids, inspired them, etc. Then we talked about Lent, its 40 days, and our practice of giving something up, a form of fasting and how we might make it more intentional and let it focus in on our dependence upon God.


• Ecce Deus, the First Song of Isaiah (Isaiah 12:2-6), read responsively


• Gloria Patri (Glory be to the Father...)


• The Apostles' Creed


• The Lord's Prayer


• Intercessions: Prayer stations. 4 folding tables. Two sheets paper/table, each with its own simple prayer category. Pillar candle in the middle of each table, taper candle laying next to it. 5 tea light candles above each sheet of paper. Played more ambient stuff, invited kids to get up, walk around, no particular order, no need to get to all the tables. Read the sheet, ponder it, write something if they wish, light a tea candle using the taper off the pillar. Pause to reflect. Quietly gathered everyone back together.


• Prayed by listening to the prayer categories being sung in chant by a cantor and singing the response in the song "Intercessions: Exaudi Nos (Hear Us)" from the Taize community's CD Laudate: Music of Taize


• A Collect for the Presence of Christ


• A Prayer for Mission (Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night...)


• Ending song: "Jesus Never Leaves Me," by Duvall off their album Volume and Density


• A Prayer of St. Chrysostom


• Benediction

If you are interested in a Keynotes or PowerPoint version of this service, e-mail me (take out the spaces, replace "at" with @, yada yada): i am josh frank [at] g mail [dot] com.

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