As early as the mid-fourth century, Christians have observed a time of preparation before the Easter celebration. The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. The forty days of Lent recall the 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism (Matthew 4:2, Luke 4:1-2) and Moses' 40 day fast on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28). It is a time of simplicity and preparation.
Principal Themes
- Penitence
- Baptismal renewal
- Preparation for baptism at the Easter Vigil
- Prayer, fasting, and service
- Confession of sin rooted in the promise of God that comes through the cross of Christ
Color of the Season
- Purple, suggesting somberness and solemnity.
Planning Checklist
- Lent is a season of simplicity. Look around your worship space and make changes to simplify artwork, banners, flower arrangements, etc. Some congregations cover artwork with cloth veils or use dry branches rather than flower arrangements.
- See the FAQ, "Why don't we use Alleluias during Lent?"
- Lengthen the times of silence within the liturgy. In order to assist those gathered to engage the longer time for reflection, use a bell or a simple gong to define the time and mask distractions.
- Simplify the time of gathering. Use the Kyrie and omit the hymn of praise.
- Use the Apostles' Creed.
- Use the proper preface for Lent that can be found in the Leader's Edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship on page 185.
- Use Eucharistic Prayer IV found on page 111 of the pew edition of Evangelical Lutheran Worship or page 197 of the Leader's Edition. This Eucharistic prayer contains images and language that are particularly appropriate for the season.
- At the close of the worship services, the assembly is sent out to be the presence of God in the world. Display ideas and opportunities that invite the congregation into the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and service to the community.
- To mark the beginning of baptismal instruction, the congregation may use the order for Welcome to Baptism, in Evangelical Lutheran Worship on page 232-233.
- Kids Celebrate Lent & Easter introduces children to the seasons of the church and is available for pre-readers and young readers.
- Use our simple and printable Lenten Worship Checklist to assist worship planners in their task.
Provisional Service Music
Trial-Use and Evaluation
In preparation for a new musical resource to support the Evangelical Lutheran Worship liturgies of Lent and the Three Days, these provisional service music pieces are intended for use and evaluation by worshiping communities and their leaders. Your feedback will help shape decisions on final resources. Please e-mail your comments and feedback to scott.weidler@elca.org.
Each piece can be used in a variety of ways between assembly, leader and choir. Adapt them as needed or use them to inspire your own musical compositions. See Chapter 2 in the Musicians Guide to Evangelical Lutheran Worship for thoughts on the place of music in these services and tips on singing liturgical texts.
Download and print
Links to the provisional service music are provided below. Leader and choir parts are provided in PDF format and notes as 
. Assembly parts for printing in worship folders are provided as images and are noted as 
.
Ash Wednesday
- See the FAQ, "Why and how do we use ashes on Ash Wednesday?"
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship contains a liturgy for Ash Wednesday beginning on page 251 of the pew edition. The worship planning resource, Sundays and Seasons online or in print provides the same liturgy. Worship leaflets of the liturgy can be purchased at Augsburg Fortress.
- The worship service may begin and end in silence.
Gospel Acclamation (provisional music)
Evangelical Lutheran Worship Leaders Desk Edition, p. 616
Setting 1 - STB choir
Setting 2 - Leader / unison choir
Setting 2 - Assembly
Confession of Sin (provisional music)
Evangelical Lutheran Worship Leaders Desk Edition, pp. 617-618
Confession sung on a simple tone beginning at "We have not loved you with our whole heart ..." for leader and assembly.
Leader
Assembly refrain "Have mercy on us, O God."
Concluding dialog "Restore us, O God...."
Imposition of Ashes (provisional music)
Evangelical Lutheran Worship Leaders Desk Edition, p. 619
Dialog concluding the imposition of ashes
Leader and assembly
Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday)
Procession
Evangelical Lutheran Worship Leaders Desk Edition, p. 662-626.
- Determine how and where the procession with palms will take place. Consider how those with physical disabilities will participate.
- Include children waving palm branches in the procession on Passion Sunday.
- The Procession of Palms from Evangelical Lutheran Worship is available as a printed leaflet from Augsburg Fortress.
- Consider ordering Eco-Palms from Lutheran World Relief. Eco-palms are harvested in an socially and environmentally just way.
- Reserve left over palms to be burned for ashes for the next Ash Wednesday.
Acclamations (provisional music)
Simple intonations for these acclamations:
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Let us go forth in peace,
in the name of Christ. Amen.
Leader
Assembly 1
Assembly 2
Gospel Acclamation (provisional music)
ELW Leaders Desk Edition, p. 79
Christ humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name.
Setting 1 - SATB choir
Setting 2 - Cantor or unison choir
Setting 2 - Assembly
Mid-Week Prayer
- Evening Prayer can be a suitable outline for mid-week Lenten services. Evangelical Lutheran Worship and Worship and Sundays and Seasons online or in print offers a flexible and adaptable form.
- Sundays and Seasons online or in print offers a series of readings and hymn options that highlight the Lenten themes of God's mercy and forgiveness. Another option is to use the daily lectionary readings found beginning on page 1121 of Evangelical Lutheran Worship.
At Home
- Commit to a Lenten discipline of devotion, prayer and service. Augsburg Fortress offers a variety of devotional resources for the Lenten season. Many congregations prepare Lenten devotional booklets that include the reflection of members of the community on biblical passages or Lenten themes.
- Teach children to make the sign of the cross offering them a way to bodily participate in the liturgy at church and prayers at home.
- Find ways to include children in ministries of service during Lent. Collect offerings or food stuffs for those in need. Create a way to track the progress in a way that will engage children.
- Concentrate on prayer during Lent. Collect prayer requests, write them on slips of paper and fashion them into a paper chain collect them in a bowl as a tangible reminder of the prayers.
- Find a way to support those being prepared for baptism. Pray for them and send them a note encouraging them in this time of learning and preparation. Encourage children to draw pictures or write small notes about baptism to those being prepared.
Resources
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship contains liturgies for Ash Wednesday and Sunday of the Passion (Palm Sunday).
- For Lenten supplies and resources visit Augsburg Fortress.
- Sundays and Seasons online or in print at Augsburg Fortress.
- See the list of Lenten resources at the worship website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
- Kids Celebrate Lent & Easter introduces children to the seasons of the church and is available for pre-readers and young readers.
- See Lent on Wikipedia.