the season of lent · lent: the 40 day period (not counting sundays) between ash wednesday and holy...
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Lent: The 40 day period (not counting
Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Holy
Saturday (the day before Easter) in which we
prepare our hearts in celebration of Christ’s
Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Lent is a special season of prayer and
fasting where we return to God, repent of
our sins, devote time to prayerful
reflection, examine our hearts and our
lives, seek and surrender to the leading of the
Spirit, remember Christ’s love for us,
refocus our commitment to discipleship,
and wait for God to renew us as we look to
the cross and continue our journey doing
what God wants us to do and becoming who
God wants us to become.
Get Real With Jesus! Let the mystery of God unfold through
spiritual practices:
Incorporate the following spiritual disciplines into your daily life during the season of Lent:
Read the Bible daily. Memorize Scripture.
Pray
Participate in worship.
Connect with other Christians & join a
Small Group, Bible Study, or Sunday
School class.
Practice extravagant generosity by tithing
and giving of your time, talents, & re-
sources. Share what God has given you!
Serve in missions and ministry!
(Matt 4:4, Ps 119:11, John 4:24, Acts 2:42-47, 1Tim
6:17-19, Matt 23:11, James 1:22)
1
Make time for Jesus and take up one
new spiritual practice this Lent!
Prayerfully review the above list. On the next
page are suggested resources to help you ex-
plore each spiritual practice. If you are already
doing something in each area, find ways to ex-
perience each spiritual practice in a new way!
Dig deeper! Do something more!
THE SEASON OF LENT REPENT~RETURN~REFLECT~REMEMBER
REFOCUS~RENEW
Fairhope United Methodist Church
...Not Just Another Church...A Place Where Faith, Family and Friendship Connect
www.myfairhopeumc.net, 5660 Louisville St. N.E.; Louisville, Ohio 44641
330-875-2028, [email protected], [email protected]
Let the mystery
of God unfold
during the season
of Lent.
Carve out a
space in your life
for Jesus and
allow Him to
reveal Himself
more fully to you
during this sacred
& holy season!
Lent Stop ~ Look ~ Listen
For God
A word about
FASTING: Fasting has roots in many Christian traditions, including Methodism. John Wesley fasted twice a week when he was young and called fasting one of the "acts of piety," along with praying and studying the Bible. According to the Spiritual Disciplines Devotion-al, the definition of fasting for a Christian is “saying no to otherwise normal activities for the sake of intense spiritual focus.” Fasting can be a denial of anything that keeps us from God: TV, shopping, exercise, food, entertainment, etc. None are nec-essarily bad things, but when they get in the way of our time for worship, prayer, and serving others and keep us from God, then it is time for us to set those activities aside and reevaluate our priorities. Fasting can be a powerful experience during Lent, but be cautious about fasting for the sake of fasting. (See Matthew 6:16-18) Give up something and replace it with something spiritual!
~Seek God in the Silence of the Season~ Take Time To Be Holy
?? WHERE TO BEGIN ?? Curiosity is a good thing!
For questions about Lent, some of the
‘church words’ & experiences associated with this
season, ideas & information on spiritual practices,
& incorporating them into your daily life this Lent,
we encourage you to explore some of the resources
& Lenten devotional books available at the table
outside the sanctuary, in our library & educational
ministry office (rm. 202 & 203), on our website,
www.myfairhopeumc.net, or through our Faith &
Life Discovery sermon-based daily devotions.
Please contact Pastor Joe or Kathy Schmucker, Di-
rector of Educational Ministries, for more infor-
mation. Remember, sometimes questioning can
bring you closer to God!
Rediscover your curiosity & meet God
in your questions!
This paper came to you in the form of a scroll, tied with a piece of twine. The twine is to remind you of the ancient Biblical practice of seeking repent-ance by wearing sackcloth & ashes. Keep the piece of twine in a place where you will see it often during Lent (Perhaps use it as your Bible bookmark.) as a reminder of your desire to seek & return to Jesus, surrender yourself to your Lord, repent & reflect on who you are in Christ, remember the sacrifice He made for you, refocus & renew your faith commit-ment, and allow God to shape & mold you to be what He wants you to be.
Let the mystery of God unfold this Lent!
Get real with Jesus! Carve out a space in your life for Him, open
your heart, surrender to Him and allow Him
to reveal Himself more fully to you this Lent!
Fairhope UMC’s Mission Focus:
We exist to love and serve God by loving and serving others for the purpose of making and
maturing disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16