During this season of Lent we invite you to connect the practices of prayer, reflection and discussion with our life in worship together. Each week in worship, the Pastors’ sermons will explore themes generated by the content and history of African American Spirituals, each paired with a companioning Biblical text. Below are lyrics, music, scripture and reflection questions so that you might as an individual, family or small group continue to be shaped by God through the Spirituals, the scriptures and prayer.
The Music and Lyrics – Steal Away
Refrain:
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home;
I ain’t got long to stay here.
My Lord, he calls me;
he calls me by the thunder.
The trumpet sounds within my soul;
I ain’t got long to stay here. [Refrain]
Green trees are bending;
poor sinners stand a trembling.
The trumpet sounds within my soul;
I ain’t got long to stay here. [Refrain]
My Lord, he calls me;
he calls me by the lightning.
The trumpet sounds within my soul;
I ain’t got long to stay here. [Refrain]
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The Scripture
The Reflection
Ash Wednesday – Turn to Christ
As you begin your Lenten Journey, you are invited to reflect upon your experience of the presence of God in your life. Do you find God as the source of your blessings? Do you find God as the rock who offers you strength through life’s storms? Do you experience God as a parent – who is proud of your accomplishments, who laments your failures, and who grieves your pains?
Or do you find it hard to connect with God? Is it a struggle to discern God’s will for your life, to follow God’s commands to love God and love your neighbor as yourself?
Regardless of your experience of God, this holy season invites us to turn, and to return, to Christ. Lent is a season marked by repentance and an invitation to refocus on God’s abiding presence in our midst.
As you read through the scripture passages and the text of the spiritual, reflect on these questions – as an individual, or with a friend or family member.
Reflect:
- How does God call you? How do you recognize God’s voice? How does God “get through” to you?
- Is there a practice that allows you to “steal away” – that allows you to maintain an intimate connection with Christ in the midst of your daily life?
- How has your family or faith community experienced God’s call together? What are the key elements of this shared experience of call?
- Is there a practice that you – either alone or with a loved one – will assume during Lent to draw near to God? Is there something that you will surrender? A habit or pleasure that you will give up? A practice or action that you will take on?
Act:
- Create a physical space in your home for personal prayer and reflection. Maybe it is a space simply made by turning off a television and lighting a candle instead. Maybe you wish to create a more intricate space, marked by colors, faith symbols & photos of loved ones.