Third Wednesday in Lent

  
Denise and I came up with the concept of visual markers for each Wednesday in Lent a few years ago after one of our Christian Spiritual Formation Certificate courses at Columbia Theological Seminary. We used the Wee Worship Book from Wild Goose Publishing of Iona (Iona Books) for the liturgy.

On Ash Wednesday, we had the worshipers pick up a stone, hold it, meditate on sin (how we missed the mark in serving and loving God) before placing them on the Communion Table. At the conclusion of the service, we blew out one of the candles. The second Wednesday in Lent, the theme was “Broken Vessels.” The visual marker placed on the Communion Table was a jar to represent the jar of precious ointment which the woman used to anoint Jesus. At the conclusion of the service we blew out the second candle.

Tonight, on the Third Wednesday, the theme was “Broken Trust” and the visual marker placed on the Communion Table were the thirty pieces of silver Judas received from the chief priests.

The focus verse was Matthew 26:14-25

Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him. On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ He said, ‘Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, ‘Surely not I, Lord?’ He answered, ‘The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.’ Judas, who betrayed him, said, ‘Surely not I, Rabbi?’ He replied, ‘You have said so.’

At the conclusion of the service, the third candle was blown out.