Lenten Theme: Cloud of Witnesses

Our time together during the Lenten season will be spent in conversation with a cloud of witnesses across the ages who have contributed to the faith tradition that embraces us. We’ll hear from advocates, mystics, saints, scientists, wordsmiths, musicians, and we’ll hear from you, too. This booklet is available for the community to use in preparation for each gathering; the readings are also available through the church website with a bulletin board for posting online observations and thoughts. By listening together to our ancestors, we hope that our Lenten journey brings us greater courage for the living of these days.

Many selected writings of these giants are contained in the Upper Room’s collections called Spiritual Classics. These would be excellent resources to own, share or borrow.

For the worship of our community of faith during the Lenten season, we will engage weekly with the thoughts of several of these ancestors who are part of our Cloud of Witnesses. The Unison Response is an adaptation of the words of St. Augustine. Anthems during the season come from the work of Thomas Merton, St. Francis, Hildegard and others. The ideas of Julian of Norwich have been offered to us by David Mears and Don Schlosser for our service music, that in singing the faith of this lover of God and humanity, we, too, may be strengthened in our loving.

“We Are Here”

We lift our eyes to all that is created,
from the greatest to the very small,
and in your love-light all is consecrated.
The love of God is in it all.

All is made in the love of God.
All endures in the love of God.
We are here in the love of God.

Now go forth in the love of God.
Go live well in the love of God.
We are held in the love of God.