LENT March 1 - April 14

Transcription

1 LENT 2017 March 1 - April 14

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3 Lent is a time of spiritual renewal. A time for us to prepare our hearts to celebrate Resurrection Sunday. As Christians, it could be easy for us to skip over the sorrowful events of the crucifixion in favor of focusing on the joy of the resurrection. But doing so would give us an incomplete picture. The value of Lent is its invitation to press into spiritual practices such as Scripture reading, reflection, Prayer, and fasting. These practices awaken our soul and help us position ourselves to gain a deeper knowing of the whole story - the pain and the promise - of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The season of Lent is celebrated for 40 days, excluding Sundays, between Ash Wednesday (March 1) and Easter Sunday (April 16). Biblically, 40 is a meaningful number. The flood rains fell for 40 days (Genesis 6-8), Moses remained on Sinai for 40 days to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:12-18), Elijah made a 40 day journey to Mount Horeb (1Kings 19:1-12), and Jesus temptation was marked by his 40 day fast in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). This Lent, as Grace family, we embark on a 40 day journey together. We will interact with Scripture using the daily 15 Minutes with God format, and symbolically follow Jesus on his final trek into Jerusalem. Fasting is also an integral part of Lent. A fast, in some form, is encouraged in order to make more space in our life for intentional time with God. Traditionally, participants fast Monday-Saturday. Sundays are reserved for worship and feasting. Look forward to growing in intimacy with God, and accepting His personal invitations, as we encounter afresh the One who is Sacrificial Love.

4 How to use this Lent guide: This guide is meant to be used for our 15 Minutes with God practice during the seven weeks of Lent - beginning with Ash Wednesday (March 1) and ending on Good Friday (April 14). Most of the Scripture passages are from the Revised Common Lectionary Lent Calendar. Monday - Friday, interact with the provided passage of Scripture for each day. Spend five minutes reading the passage, five minutes Journaling about what God is saying to you through the passage, and five minutes praying. Space is provided weekly for you to keep personal notes on your fast.

5 Lenten Fast Fasting is a suggested and beneficial practice during Lent. Removing something from our normal diet, or our usual routine, opens space for us to be more attentive to our spiritual health. For example, skipping a meal each day, and instead using the time for Prayer, is a way for us to seek a deeper connection with God. Or, unplugging ourselves from social media, and alternatively spending some time in silence each day, provides an opportunity to attune our heart to the Holy Spirit s promptings. Following is a list of possible fasting options. These fasts were selected as each represents an accepted form of comfort that our culture gravitates to for distraction. You could participate in a variety of fasts, one for each week of Lent, or do the same fast for 40 days. Prayerfully consider which fast(s) you will follow and plan ahead for adjustments you will need to make. Most importantly, enjoy God s company as you practice your fast. Possible Fasts: 1. Food - Abstain from a meal(s) or omit certain foods from your diet 2. Television/Movies/Netflix - Abstain 3. Shopping - Refrain from purchasing anything non-essential for yourself 4. Caffeine/Sweets/Treats - Abstain from indulgences 5. Social Media/Internet - Abstain from unnecessary communication 6. Music/Talk Radio - Abstain 7. Sleep - Set your alarm an hour earlier each day to wake up to pray 8. Simplify - Thoughtfully give away a favorite personal possession each day *Traditionally, a Lent fast is Monday-Saturday. Sundays are reserved for worship and feasting.

6 Schedule of Lent Events: Ash Wednesday - Chapel open 6 AM - 8 PM Sundays - Listening Room 7-8 PM Weekdays (M-F) - Chapel open 6-8 AM Good Friday Stations of the Cross, Noon 3:30 Good Friday Service, 6:30 PM

7 WEEK ONE Even now, declares the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Joel 2:12-13

8 March 1 Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday ushers in the season of Lent. Throughout church history, the placement of ashes on one s forehead was an outward symbol of an inward repentance. Many Christians continue the ritual of ashes today. Whether we partake in the tradition of ashes, or not, at the heart of Ash Wednesday is God s invitation to examine ourselves and come before Him as we are, in complete honesty - no curtains separating us from Him or others. Reading 51 Have mercy on me, [a] O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins,

9 and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right [b] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:1-17

10 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer If you are able, drop in the chapel at Grace today, between 6 AM 8 PM, to enjoy some time in quiet reflection.

11 What is your fasting plan for Lent?

12 March 2 Reading We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says, In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 5:20b 6:10

13 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

14 March 3 Reading Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust [a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

15 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

16 Fasting Notes

17 March 5 Sunday Evening Listening Room Grace Chapel 7-8PM

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19 WEEK TWO Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. Luke 4:1-2

20 March 6 Reading 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat [a] of it you shall surely die. 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say, You [a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, [b] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7

21 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

22 March 7 Reading 32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up [b] as by the heat of summer. Selah 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer Prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. 10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Psalm 32

23 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

24 March 8 Reading 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men [a] because all sinned 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass [b] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness [c] leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man s obedience the many will be made righteous. Romans 5:12-19

25 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

26 March 9 Reading Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread. 4 But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve. 11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. Matthew 4:1-11

27 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

28 March 10 Reading One day, as Jesus [a] was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority. 3 He answered them, I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, If we say, From heaven, he will say, Why did you not believe him? 6 But if we say, From man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 9 And he began to tell the people this parable: A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant [b] to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him. 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours. 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, Surely not! 17 But he looked directly at them and said, What then is this that is written: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone? [c] 18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. Luke 20:1-18

29 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

30 Fasting Notes

31 March 12 Sunday Evening Listening Room Grace Chapel 7-8PM

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33 WEEK THREE 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17

34 March 13 Reading Now the Lord said [a] to Abram, Go from your country [b] and your kindred and your father s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. [c] 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Genesis 12:1-4a

35 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

36 March 14 Reading I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121

37 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

38 March 15 Reading What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in [a] him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. 13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, I have made you the father of many nations in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Romans 4:1-5, 13-17

39 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

40 March 16 Reading And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is my beloved Son, [a] with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise, and have no fear. 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. Matthew 17:1-9

41 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

42 March 17 Reading 19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, [a] but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not? 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 Show me a denarius. [b] Whose likeness and inscription does it have? They said, Caesar s. 25 He said to them, Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar s, and to God the things that are God s. 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent. 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man [c] must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30 And the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife. 34 And Jesus said to them, The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, 36 for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons [d] of the resurrection. 37 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. 39 Then some of the scribes answered, Teacher, you have spoken well. 40 For they no longer dared to ask him any question. 41 But he said to them, How can they say that the Christ is David s son? 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 43 until I make your enemies your footstool. 44 David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son? 45 And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, 46 Beware of the scribes,

43 who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, 47 who devour widows houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation. Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Luke 20:19-47 Prayer

44 Fasting Notes

45 March 19 Sunday Evening Listening Room Grace Chapel 7-8PM

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47 WEEK FOUR As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord s love is with those who fear him, Psalm 103:13-17a

48 March 20 Reading All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water to drink. And Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me. 5 And the Lord said to Moses, Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink. And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah [a] and Meribah, [b] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, Is the Lord among us or not? exodus 17:1-7

49 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

50 March 21 Reading Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways. 11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter my rest. Psalm 95

51 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

52 March 22 Reading Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we [a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith [b] into this grace in which we stand, and we [c] rejoice [d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:1-11

53 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

54 March 23 Reading 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. [a] 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, Give me a drink. 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water. 11 The woman said to him, Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock. 13 Jesus said to her, Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. [b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. 15 The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water. 16 Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. 17 The woman answered him, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You are right in saying, I have no husband ; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true. 19 The woman said to him, Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. 21 Jesus said to her, Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. 25 The woman said to him, I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus said to her, I who speak to you am he. 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, What do you seek? or, Why are you talking with her? 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat. 32 But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. 33 So the disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought him something to eat? 34 Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already

55 the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps. 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman s testimony, He told me all that I ever did. 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world. John 4:5-42 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

56 March 24 Reading Jesus [a] looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. [b] 3 And he said, Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on. 5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. 7 And they asked him, Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place? 8 And he said, See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, I am he! and, The time is at hand! Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once. 10 Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers [c] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. 20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. 29 And he told them a parable: Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this

57 generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34 But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. 37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. Luke 21 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

58 Fasting Notes

59 March 26 Sunday Evening Listening Room Grace Chapel 7-8PM

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61 WEEK FIVE Sacrifice and offering you did not desire but my ears you have opened burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, Here I am, I have come it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart. Psalm 40:6-8

62 March 27 Reading The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you. 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, Do you come peaceably? 5 And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord s anointed is before him. 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, [a] but behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:1-13

63 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

64 March 28 Reading The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. [a] 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness [b] for his name s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [c] I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely [d] goodness and mercy [e] shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell [f] in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23

65 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

66 March 29 Reading 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:8-14

67 Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? Prayer

68 March 30 Reading As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 Having said these things, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, Is this not the man who used to sit and beg? 9 Some said, It is he. Others said, No, but he is like him. He kept saying, I am the man. 10 So they said to him, Then how were your eyes opened? 11 He answered, The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight. 12 They said to him, Where is he? He said, I do not know. 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. 16 Some of the Pharisees said, This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath. But others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet. 18 The Jews [a] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? 20 His parents answered, We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself. 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus [b] to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, He is of age; ask him. 24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. 25 He answered, Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. 26 They said to him, What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes? 27 He answered them, I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples? 28 And they reviled him, saying, You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. 30 The man answered, Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes

69 from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing. 34 They answered him, You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us? And they cast him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, Do you believe in the Son of Man? [c] 36 He answered, And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him? 37 Jesus said to him, You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you. 38 He said, Lord, I believe, and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind. 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, Are we also blind? 41 Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no guilt; [d] but now that you say, We see, your guilt remains. Journaling What is God saying to you through this passage? John 9:1-41 Prayer

70 March 31 Reading Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. 4 He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd. 7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 So Jesus [a] sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it. 9 They said to him, Where will you have us prepare it? 10 He said to them, Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters 11 and tell the master of the house, The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there. 13 And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. 14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it [b] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. [c] 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed! 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this. 24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

71 28 You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, [d] that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. 33 Peter [e] said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. 34 Jesus [f] said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me. 35 And he said to them, When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything? They said, Nothing. 36 He said to them, But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: And he was numbered with the transgressors. For what is written about me has its fulfillment. 38 And they said, Look, Lord, here are two swords. And he said to them, It is enough. 39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, Pray that you may not enter into temptation. 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. [g] 45 And when he rose from Prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. 47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss? 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? 50 And one of them struck the servant [h] of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, No more of this! And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. 54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle