Book study, Prayer Partners, & Write Your Own Prayer: three great ways to observe Lent. Please contact Pastor Jean if you have questions about any of our Lenten activities.
Lenten book study: The Last Week
Leaders
Molly Anderson, leader of Adult Education on the Faith Development Committee
Rev. Jean Jeffress, Minister of Faith Formation and Outreach
Program
Molly and Pastor Jean will be co-leading a Lenten book study on The Last Week by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan. This book chronicles the last week of the life of Jesus as told by the Gospel of Mark. If you’re curious about the historical or cultural context of the Passion story, or just want a deeper understanding of this important and sacred story that we tell every year, this book study will be a great place to bring your questions. For each chapter of the book, Molly and Pastor Jean will bring one or two of the most important questions for discussion.
Some copies of the book are available to borrow (please email [email protected] to inquire), and it is available online.
The meeting schedule and reading assignments (to be read before each meeting) are listed below. Each chapter has questions for reflection at the back of the book.
Discussion Schedule & Reading Assignments
3/16/23
Dear Foothills Community,
Tonight’s session of our Lenten Book Study on The Last Week is cancelled. Our co-leader, Molly Anderson, is still without internet access in the wake of the recent storm. We will resume the book study sessions on Sunday, March 26 at 11:15am in the Fireside Room. On the 26th, we will discuss chapters 5 and 6 which is what we would have discussed tonight. The final session, on April 2 will cover chapters 7 and 8.
Thank you for your understanding. Looking forward to seeing you on March 26.
Sunday Mar. 26 – 11:15 in the Fireside Room and on Zoom (same link as Sunday worship service)
Prior to this meeting, please read in The Last Week:
Chapter 5: Maundy Thursday & Chapter 6: Good Friday
Sunday Apr. 2 – 11:15 in the Fireside Room and on Zoom (same link as Sunday worship service)
Prior to this meeting, please read in The Last Week:
Chapter Seven: Holy Saturday & Chapter Eight: Easter Sunday
We’re looking forward to learning together.
Prayer Partners – a prayer buddy system!
Leaders
Nancy Traficanti, leader of the Prayer Circle
Rev. Jean Jeffress, Minister of Faith Formation and Outreach
Program
Prayer Circle is a community that enjoys – and takes seriously – praying for each other. If you would like a prayer partner for the season of Lent, send an email to [email protected]. Nancy and Pastor Jean will gather the names that come in and draw them from a hat to pair partners at random. Once you have your partner, you can begin praying with them, and continue through the six weeks of Lent (Wednesday February 22, through Thursday April 6).
Here are some suggested guidelines for Prayer Partners:
- Choose something that you both pray for together (i.e., victims of mass shootings)
- Share something with your prayer partner that you would like them to pray for
- Check in weekly (phone, text, whatever is best).
Another opportunity: Write Your Own Prayer
Pastor Jean writes:
There is one more aspect to the prayer practice. Each week in our church service I say a pastoral prayer. It is a prayer that is meant to encapsulate all the prayers that were said, acknowledge and give thanks to God and lead us to close with the Lord’s Prayer.
The format for the pastoral prayer that I say each week is called a “collect” (pronounced KAHL-lekt). A collect prayer has four basic parts:
- Naming God (Gracious God, or Our Father)
- Characteristic of God (Who gives hope, or who art in heaven)
- Petition (Be with us through change, or give us this day)
- Outcome (With courage we trust you, or for thine is the Kingdom)
For example here is a link to the collect I wrote for service.
If you are so inclined, either on your own or with your prayer partner, write a collect of your own. Send it to me and I will use it as the pastoral prayer in service. I would love to see what you all come up with. Writing prayers is a wonderful way to feel close to God. It’s very grounding and a beautiful spiritual practice.
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