- Get a Lenten devotional booklet and make time to go through a page per day.
- Fast from one or more meals once per week. Think: “God is more important to my life, I need Him more than this food.” Use `meal time’ to read and pray.
- Make the sign of the cross (“In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit”), remembering you are God’s baptized, beloved child, and then carefully, thoughtfully pray the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father…”) two or three times per day. Set the alarm on your phone to remind you to do this.
- If you missed Ash Wednesday, get a copy of the worship bulletin and pray through it.
- Go to the Wednesday Soup Suppers (6:00 pm) and Bible video (“Jesus, the God who knows your name”) (7:00 pm).
- You’re probably planning to be in worship on Easter. Plan to come on Good Friday as well (7:00 pm). Also come on Maundy Thursday (7:00 pm). Plan now to come then.
Read the Gospel of Matthew in Lent
One of the reasons Jesus’ life ends up feeling like a random collection of anecdotes and one liners is we rarely read through it all together. We invite you to spend the season of Lent (March, and the beginning of April) reading the Gospel of Matthew. Read about 5 chapters per week (suggested schedule below).
__ Mon, March 2 -Matthew 1
__ Tue, March 3 -Matthew 2
__ Wed, March 4 -Matthew 3
__ Thu, March 5 -Matthew 4
__ Mon, March 9 -Matthew 5
__ Tue, March 10 -Matthew 6
__ Wed, March 11 -Matthew 7
__ Thu, March 12 -Matthew 8
__ Fri, March 13 -Matthew 9
__ Mon, March 16 -Matthew 10
__ Tue, March 17 -Matthew 11
__ Wed, March 18 -Matthew 12
__ Thu, March 19 -Matthew 13
__ Fri, March 20 -Matthew 14
__ Mon, March 23 -Matthew 15
__ Tue, March 24 -Matthew 16
__ Wed, March 25 -Matthew 17
__ Thu, March 26 -Matthew 18
__ Fri, March 27 -Matthew 19
__ Mon, March 30 -Matthew 20
__ Tue, March 31 -Matthew 21
__ Wed, April 1 -Matthew 22
__ Thu, April 2 -Matthew 23
__ Fri, April 3 -Matthew 24
__ Mon, April 6 -Matthew 25
__ Tue, April 7 -Matthew 26
__ Wed, April 8 -Matthew 27
__ Thu, April 9 -Matthew 28
__ Good Fri Worship, April 10
__ Easter Worship, April 12
Here’s a good suggestion for disciplining yourself to read the Bible: do your reading in the morning before you look at your phone. Bible before phone. –It’s surprisingly challenging to leave that phone alone, but effective in getting us to focus on God.
As you read, contemplate the passage. Here are some helpful questions:
- What is Jesus saying or doing?
- What does that say about His character?
- How are people reacting to Him? How does that expose your own reactions to Jesus?
- How would your friend, who doesn’t believe, respond to this?
- How is Jesus proving to be the true humanity? and/or true God with us?
- What is most challenging about Jesus?
