Friends,

This coming Sunday looks like good weather, hopefully!

Lent begins Wednesday the 17^th. Liturgical churches do a good job of emphasizing the Christian calendar better than Evangelical ones. I want to provide some suggestions for you to enhance your observation of Lent.

Lent focuses on repentance. We are moving toward Christ’s suffering and death and resurrection on Easter morning. We prepare our hearts & humble ourselves like He did.

Often people will fast or remove something from their daily lives those 40 days. You can certainly do that. I want to suggest adding something instead. Work on your memory verse of John 3:16. Read the 40 passages below, meditate on them, study them if you wish, and apply them as the Spirit leads.

Here are a few other suggestions on what to add. Add 5 more minutes to your prayer time. Do 2 kind deeds each week and don’t tell anyone. Email, text, call or visit a neighbor to encourage them. Spend 20 minutes helping food ministry (fold plastic bags). Use your gifts to help someone this week and advance Christ’s Kingdom.

Here are the 40 readings for Lent:

1. Isaiah 40: 1-5
2. Daniel 9:4-19
3. Nehemiah 9:16-21
4. Luke 13:1-5
5. Hebrews 3:8-19
6. Romans 1:18-32
7. Colossians 1:15-20
8. Colossians 1:21-23
9. 2 Timothy 4:1-5
10. Revelation 19:1-8
11. James 3:1-6
12. 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
13. John 14:1-3
14. Luke 15:1-7
15. Mark 1:1-8
16. Romans 5:12-17
17. Galatians 5:1-5
18. Psalm 90:13-17
19. Psalm 121:1-8
20. Isaiah 61:1-3
21. Deuteronomy 28:1-14
22. Jonah 2:1-9
23. Habakkuk 3:1-4
24. Matthew 21:1-11
25. Mark 14:17-26
26. Isaiah 40:28-31
27. Revelation 1:5-7
28. John 12:23-28
29. Galatians 2:17-21
30. Acts 3:17-23
31. Isaiah 53:1-7
32. Isaiah 53:8-12
33. Psalm 22:1-8
34. Matthew 27:11-26
35. Matthew 27:27-31
36. John 20:16-27
37. Luke 23:44-49
38. Luke 23:50-56
39. Matthew 28:1-10
40. Matthew 28:16-20

Pastor Ed

pastoredvinson@gmail.com