Lent 2023 at LNPC
Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’
Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ John 14:5-7
Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ John 14:5-7
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
What is Lent?
Lent is the period of 40 days, (minus Sundays), beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending the Saturday before Easter.
Forty days mirrors Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. (It does not include Sundays because they are considered 'mini-Easters,’ celebrations of the resurrection every week). In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism.
Lent Today:
Today, all around the world, Christians practice Lent as a time of self-reflection, repentance and fasting, to focus on God and be honest about our own and the world’s need for God. Lent prepares us to receive the good news of Easter. Read a wonderful explanation of Lent by Ruth Haley Barton here: "Lent: A Season of Returning."
Lent at LNPC
God reveals Godself to us in the person of Christ. God invites us to know God by getting to know Jesus.
Specifically during the 40 days of Lent we are invited to let go of something and invited to take up something.
How might you get to know Jesus this Lent? You may have all the direction you need by just meditating on this:
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
How might Jesus reveal himself to you as the way? Encounter you as the truth? Meet you as the life?
If you'd like more direction or suggestions for fleshing that out in specific actions, scroll down.
Lent is the period of 40 days, (minus Sundays), beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending the Saturday before Easter.
Forty days mirrors Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness. (It does not include Sundays because they are considered 'mini-Easters,’ celebrations of the resurrection every week). In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism.
Lent Today:
Today, all around the world, Christians practice Lent as a time of self-reflection, repentance and fasting, to focus on God and be honest about our own and the world’s need for God. Lent prepares us to receive the good news of Easter. Read a wonderful explanation of Lent by Ruth Haley Barton here: "Lent: A Season of Returning."
Lent at LNPC
God reveals Godself to us in the person of Christ. God invites us to know God by getting to know Jesus.
Specifically during the 40 days of Lent we are invited to let go of something and invited to take up something.
How might you get to know Jesus this Lent? You may have all the direction you need by just meditating on this:
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
How might Jesus reveal himself to you as the way? Encounter you as the truth? Meet you as the life?
If you'd like more direction or suggestions for fleshing that out in specific actions, scroll down.
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SCHEDULE OF GATHERINGS
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE,
February 22, 6:30 pm Holy Week with LNPC
PALM SUNDAY
Sunday, April 2, 10:00 am 
GOOD FRIDAY TENEBRAE SERVICE
Friday, April 7, 6:30 pm 
EASTER CELEBRATION OF THE RESURRECTION,
Sunday, April 9, 10:00 am |
RESOURCES FOR ENTERING INTO LENT
SACRED ORDINARY DAYS
Has a wonderful, extensive collection of resources, including music playlists, podcasts and devotionals. You an sign up to receive a Daily Message, a daily email with prayer, scripture, images, and a guided reflection for visio divina that accompanies each holy day throughout Lent and Eastertide. Printable Lent Family Journal
Wonderful weekly family experiences to engage Lent in creative and practical ways. From flamecreativekids.blogspot.co.uk Daily Online Lent Reading & Meditation
Click to be guided through an online devotion each day. Subscribe to receive a daily email with a short meditation, guiding you through a reading and reflection for each day of Lent. |
GIVING SOMETHING UP FOR LENT: What is NOT the way, or the truth, or the life?
What is distracting you from your belonging to God and all others? How do you succumb to the way of fear? Where would you like to live in freedom? Use this 40 days to let go of something that leads you a way you do not wish to go, feeds you a falsehood that is not truth, and does not serve life.
1- Giving up something you'd like to be free from
Maybe you want to use use these 40 days to practice letting something go that has a hold on you. Be specific as to how you will give it up for Lent. You might say:
2- Giving up something temporarily
Maybe it’s something that you’ll go back to when Lent is over, but a 40 day break would do you good and help you reset in your awareness of God’s love for you and the whole world.
What do you want to give up for Lent?
TAKING UP A PRACTICE FOR LENT: Trusting in the way, and the truth, and the life
What practice might invite you deeper into Jesus' life of belonging to God with and for others? Be specific.
What do you want to take up during Lent?
HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT TO GIVE UP AND WHAT TO TAKE UP?
What is something you know you do that is sucking life from you instead of giving life to you or calling you into life with others? What is cutting you off from others instead of connecting you to others, or dulling you to the world’s pain and beauty instead of awakening you to it?
That’s the thing you’re invited to let go of for 40 days.
And where is there energy or life beckoning you? What sparks curiosity, or joy, or is tugging at you in a particular way?
That’s what you might decide to take up as a practice.
Remember, there is no measuring or judging on this. This is an invitation to freedom.
And anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
What is distracting you from your belonging to God and all others? How do you succumb to the way of fear? Where would you like to live in freedom? Use this 40 days to let go of something that leads you a way you do not wish to go, feeds you a falsehood that is not truth, and does not serve life.
1- Giving up something you'd like to be free from
Maybe you want to use use these 40 days to practice letting something go that has a hold on you. Be specific as to how you will give it up for Lent. You might say:
- Each time regret comes up you might notice it and speak to yourself, “God uses all things for the good. The past is past, I am present now. Thank you God, for my life.”
- Or every time you find yourself comparing you might turn it into a blessing, “Thank you for the gifts you’ve given that person. Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me.” “May the world be blessed through me, just as I am.”
- Maybe it’s self-centeredness, so you will choose to do something kind for another person every day.
- Maybe it’s worry, so whenever you catch yourself worrying you gently lift it to God and release it, perhaps with a scripture, phrase or song, like “God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore I will not fear.” Ps. 46:1-2, or “Be still and know I am God.” Ps. 46:11. And then be still a moment, and exhale the worry out.
- When shame rears up, you might recite, "God loves me, I am loved," or maybe write it inside your wrist and refresh it throughout Lent.
- Or you might just use "Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life." as your touchstone, inviting you to turn your focus back to Christ, or a response you say back to anything that seeks to direct you, like regret, shame or worry, "No. Jesus said, I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
2- Giving up something temporarily
Maybe it’s something that you’ll go back to when Lent is over, but a 40 day break would do you good and help you reset in your awareness of God’s love for you and the whole world.
- Maybe it’s something like Facebook or Twitter, that podcast you can’t miss a day of, or that several time a week Starbucks stop. In the space where that usually goes, you might put something else lifegiving or restful (music, a phone call with a friend, coloring or knitting or working on a puzzle), or just notice how the lack of it makes you feel.
- Maybe it's your phone on Sundays or evenings (maybe for Lent it goes off at 6 pm and back on in the morning, or don’t go on at all on Sundays!)
- Maybe it’s shopping and commerce, so you’d like to give up buying anything unnecessary, beyond, say groceries and gas, for 40 days.
- Maybe it’s alcohol – instead of that nightly cocktail to you're using to relax and tune out, maybe it's some tea and letting yourself try to be aware and tune in.
What do you want to give up for Lent?
TAKING UP A PRACTICE FOR LENT: Trusting in the way, and the truth, and the life
What practice might invite you deeper into Jesus' life of belonging to God with and for others? Be specific.
- Maybe it’s gratitude. So perhaps you might choose to end each day listing thanks. Or you may reach out to say thank you to someone who has impacted your life or the world, each day, with a phone call, card or email.
- Maybe you’d like to practice awareness, so you decide to begin each day by staying a moment in bed before jumping up and doing your routine. For that moment you let yourself hear, feel, see, smell, touch – notice your breath, your awakening body, the presence of God in the room, your heart beating, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you bring that awareness into your day.
- Maybe it’s deciding to walk around your block once every day of Lent, praying for your neighborhood, or the world, or our country.
- Maybe you want to reach one chapter of the bible every day of Lent – if you want to do the gospels, Mark and John together equal 40 chapters, and Matthew and Luke together are 39 (so you could repeat your favorite).
- Maybe you want to practice trusting through stillness, so you set a timer for 5 minutes every day and sit.
- Maybe you want to watch through the series, The Chosen, and reflect on who Jesus is.
What do you want to take up during Lent?
HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT TO GIVE UP AND WHAT TO TAKE UP?
What is something you know you do that is sucking life from you instead of giving life to you or calling you into life with others? What is cutting you off from others instead of connecting you to others, or dulling you to the world’s pain and beauty instead of awakening you to it?
That’s the thing you’re invited to let go of for 40 days.
And where is there energy or life beckoning you? What sparks curiosity, or joy, or is tugging at you in a particular way?
That’s what you might decide to take up as a practice.
Remember, there is no measuring or judging on this. This is an invitation to freedom.
And anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."
