Magnificent Start

Some time back, I wrote about "The Challenge" to bring Morning Prayer into practice at St. John's. This was just one of the multi-faceted approaches my Education for Ministry class was taking in the effort to make Lent at St. John's into a mindful and meaningful period as opposed to this six week "thing" that happens before we get to say, "Allelulia" again. Our class produced a devotional guide, written by us and other members of the parish. Another group of us put together a Lenten Resources guide with a history of Lent in the church and culture, projects that families can do with children to mark the Lenten season and a leaflet with information on all the services and classes that will happen from now until Easter Sunday.

And then there is this daily practice of prayer... at 7:15am. The groans, the shrieks, the looks of utter disbelief that we were proposing that people come to the chapel at St. John's and start their day in prayer was, well, laughable. I mean, I wasn't being mean to people when I'd laugh. But I understood their "pain". I do the office as part of my morning. But because I have no one to do it with (save for the cat), I could do it whenever I wanted between 7 and noon. Now, I am having to be disciplined... and awake!... and in the presence of other human beings at o'dark early in the morning. And today, I was the prayer leader.

And it was good. Better than good. Our inaugural service had eleven people, including both members of our clergy. Our EfM mentor had provided candles to use as Office Lights where the flowers normally are in the chapel. Our liturgy, only slightly shortened from what is in the prayer book, worked. And God took center stage for roughly 20 minutes in the lives of those present. Right now, I'm scheduled to lead three more times, although I've learned that one of our prayer leaders wanted to take on an extra service or two... and so I'm going to shuffle things slightly. I don't know what "the numbers" will be for the remainder of Lent, but this was a really magnificent beginning for something that is a "new"ish practice at the old downtown church.