Archive for Lent
Lent Day 15
Theme: Worry
Reading: Luke 12:22-28
Meditation: Do you worry about things? What place do possessions have in your heart? How easy or hard is it to trust God to give you what you actually need?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would decrease your desire for more and more… and increase your desire for and trust in Him
[This post is part of an ongoing devotional series, you can find out more about the purpose of the posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]
Lent Day 13
Theme: Compassion
Reading: Matthew 9:35-38
Meditation: When was the last time you felt moved by compassion? What did you do because of your compassion? Are you truly moved by compassion if no action follows?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that Jesus’ prayer would be answered — that more and more people would be moved “out into the fields” to not only heal and love, but to preach the Gospel with words and deeds. Pray that God would show you your place in this mission.
Lent Day 11
Theme: Judgment
Reading: Luke 6:37-42
Meditation: Who do you end up feeling most judgmental about? Why? How can we be passionate about the truth of the Gospel and convinced of the rightness of life in the way of Jesus without coming across as a jerk? If you were wrong about something, how would you want someone to approach you?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would soften your heart towards others and most specifically, show you the “specks” in your own eye.
Lent Day 9
Theme: Rules
Reading: Matthew 23:23-24
Meditation: Do you think doing certain religious things (like fasting or observing Lent) or even not sinning makes you a better person? What are the more important matters according to this passage?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would use Lent to form you, to humble you, to purify your priorities and convince you of your place in serving others.
[This post is part of an ongoing devotional series, you can find out more about the purpose of the posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]
Lent Day 7
Theme: Sin
Reading: Matthew 18:5-9
Meditations: In what ways does sin have a grip on you? What do you know you need to let go of, but have been unwilling up to now. How might your unwillingness to deal with that affect others?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would search your heart and point out to you anything that needs to go, be let go of, and be crucified in your life.
[This post is part of an ongoing devotional series, you can find out more about the purpose of the posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]
Lent Day 5
Theme: Relationship
Reading: John 15:9-17
Meditation: What has been the story of your relationship with Jesus? How has He pursued you? How have you pursued Him?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would help you know, feel, and lean into the love of Jesus for you on a daily basis.
Lent Day 3
Theme: Greed
Reading: Luke 12:13-21
Meditation: Why does Jesus talk so much about money? How is an over-emphasis on material things corrosive to our souls and our world?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that God would show you where and how you are overly concerned about and tied to money, possessions and acquisition.
[This is the first in an ongoing series, you can find out more about the purpose of these posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]
Lent Day 1, Ash Wednesday
Today marks the beginning of the lenten season. Though you might not be able to tell from the snow on the ground and the wind-chill outside, Spring is just around the corner! Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning, “lengthen,” and refers to the lengthening of days during this season. Spring is about the beginning of new life, and that is what Lent prepares us for: experiencing the “new life” offered in Jesus through the cross and empty tomb.
Soon enough, we’ll be celebrating Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but today we begin the journey of Lent … a journey of preparation.
[This is the first in an ongoing series, you can find out more about the purpose of these posts here, and learn how to get the most out of the series here.]
Day 1
Theme: Simplicity
Reading: Matthew 6:19-34
Meditation: In what ways have the things you own ended up owning you? In what areas of your life could you simplify if you only had the will to do so? What are we really saying to God when we place such an importance on things? When we worry?
Prayer: In your own words, pray that your worry would melt into trust; that your desire for things would be redirected into a desire for God and His kingdom.
Lent Blog Series: Getting Started
Every other day during Lent, there will be a reading and devotional entry posted on our blog. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you may want to do so – either in an RSS NewsReader or through an email subscription. This is the simplest way of being reminded when there is new content here.
You can read this post for more background on the purpose of the readings and devotionals – it’s about “repentance” and the “journey” to Easter.
Here’s a few tips on how to get the most out of this blog series:
- Take note of the “theme” for the day – ask God to impress this principle on your heart through the reading and meditation, but also throughout the next two days.
- Read the Scripture passage for the day. You can read it here at the blog by simply putting your mouse over the passage; but if it’s possible, you might find it helpful to have a Bible close by and open to the passage so you can linger on the verses without distraction.
- Let your meditation be guided by the questions listed. Commit to being honest with yourself and allowing these questions to penetrate deep.
- Make the short, suggested prayer your own by talking honestly with God. Maybe it will be helpful to you to imagine Jesus is next to you during the devotion time, speak honestly to him as you pray.
To see the most recent entry, click on “Blog” in the menu above; or to see all the entries in the series, click here.
Beginning the Journey of Lent
Tomorrow, February 17th is known as “Ash Wednesday,” and it is the beginning of the annual season of Lent, a time of prayer and preparation for Easter.
Lent is the period of 40 days (excluding Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Easter, and was originally a period of study and preparation for those to be baptized at Easter. It later became a time of penitence and self-examination for all Christians. In some ways, it is meant to reflect the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting and resisting temptation prior to His ministry.
By celebrating Lent, we follow Jesus into the wilderness, resist temptation, pray, and proceed “on the way” to Jerusalem and the cross of Good Friday.
Our Lenten journey is one of repentance, that is, changing directions from self — self-serving patterns and a myopic focus — toward the outward focused way of Jesus’ followers.
We follow Jesus in laying down ourselves for others. The power of God’s Spirit in our lives makes life-long changes become possible. It’s the same power that raised Jesus from the dead that leads us toward repentance and renewal. Turning from the old self at Lent and experiencing a dying of old ways prepares us to truly experience the joy of Easter.
Here at our blog, we will be providing a guide for this season of prayer and reflection. It is intended to assist you along the way. It is not meant to be followed legalistically. But, since we often need help in focusing on what is truly important and in laying aside distractions, this new blog series is designed to provide that help
There will be a devotional reading every other day during the next 40 days. Come by as much or as little as you like. Remember that we are in the season of Lent and our praying has repentance as its focus. Repentance is a two-fold spiritual discipline.
- First, it is an acknowledgment of our sin as it shows itself in the different aspects of our being — wrong thinking and attitudes, wrong affections and aspirations, wrong behaviors and actions.
- Second, it is a turning from our sin to Christ to realized the forgiveness and strength we have in him. We turn to God’s Spirit to change and grow to be more like Jesus. It is a sober reflection upon our condition, which leads us to faith and fresh trust in the finished work of Christ.
This church-wide reflection on our sin, our brokenness, and all the ways we are bound with the brokenness in the world should serve to increase our gratitude and wonder at the love of God.
May this season work in you, and in our community as a whole!
