The Light of Lent | A 7-Week Guide by Kristen Welch by Mercy House Global

THE LIGHT OF LENT A 7-WEEK GUIDE

BY KRISTEN WELCH

Author of Made to Move Mountains

Lent is about the gospel. The season of Lent lasts approximately 40 days, between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Practicing this intentional time helps us to narrow our focus to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

WHY LIGHT CANDLES? We light candles to signify “the Light that was God’s glory and that illuminated God for us—the Light that, in the end, seemed to have been darkened. As we move through the season preceding Easter, the candles are snuffed out one by one, until all are dark on Good Friday, when Jesus died and the earth was covered with shadow. Darkness apparently had won. The Light of the World had been extinguished. It was finished. But NO! Easter brings resurrection! Life! Return from death! The Light has won and all the candles burn as we praise him—the Light of the World, the Bright Morning Star, the Glory of God.”1 We light candles to remember.

WHY DO WE FAST DURING LENT? We fast from food or certain luxuries during Lent as a way to replicate the sacrifice Jesus made during his 40 days of fasting in the desert (see Matt. 4:1–11).

HOW TO USE THIS 7-WEEK GUIDE There are two options for using this guide: 1.

Complete the activities one per week during the 7 weeks leading up to Easter, beginning the week of Ash Wednesday.

Complete the activities one a day during the 7 days leading up to Easter.

Whichever you choose, light the provided candle, hand-poured by refugees from Syria, to help you pause from the busyness of life and focus your heart on Jesus.

1 Noël Piper, “Lenten Lights: Eight Biblical Devotions to Prepare for Easter,” Desiring God, March 29, 2007, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/lenten-lights.

DAY/WEEK 1

(WEEK OF ASH WEDNESDAY)

SCRIPTURE READING “Even now,” declares the Lord,

For God so loved the world that

“return to me with all your heart,

he gave his one and only Son, that

with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

whoever believes in him shall not

Rend your heart and not your garments.

perish but have eternal life.

(John 3:16 NIV)

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. Who knows? he may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing— grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. (Joel 2:12–14 NIV)

FASTING SUGGESTION – SOMETHING YOU STRUGGLE WITH One of the beautiful elements of fasting for Lent is having the power to choose what we are giving up. If we sacrifice something easy that we don’t care for, like spring cleaning or our least favorite food, we aren’t giving much up and are only fooling ourselves. When we give up something we love (like food or shopping), we are denying ourselves a pleasure or something that causes us to stumble—like being on our phone too much or complaining too often—and we are reminded to focus on Jesus.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Host a bonfire in your backyard and use it as an opportunity for confession. Write down a confession of something you’re struggling with and throw it into the fire. The next day take the ashes and add them to a flowerbed to help something new grow in the spring.

DAY/WEEK 2 SCRIPTURE READING Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

(Matt. 4:1–11 NIV)

FASTING SUGGESTION – FOOD Whether it’s reducing snacking, skipping a meal, or delaying eating for a full day, there’s no denying that giving up food as a biblical discipline interrupts our day as a reminder of why we are fasting. As Rev. Matthew Newsome says, “There is something visceral about food; something that touches on the frailty of our human nature. We can do without Netflix or Facebook forever and be just fine (we may even be better off). But to go too long without food means death. We absolutely need food to survive. Yet to overindulge in food is a sin. The right kind of food nourishes us and makes us stronger. The wrong kind of food is bad for our health. Half of the world is struggling with obesity, while the other half struggles with starvation. Our relationship with food is complicated to say the least.”

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Cook rice and beans one day a week for a few months or for five days in a week and talk to your family (and yourself) about the world’s poor and how having refrigerators and pantries full of food isn’t normal for millions of people. Choose a country on the map and ask God to provide daily bread for those living in extreme poverty.

DAY/WEEK 3 SCRIPTURE READING When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

(Matt. 6:16–18 NIV)

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Ps. 23 NIV)

FASTING SUGGESTION – TV, NETFLIX, AMAZON PRIME Technology and its handheld access have made media a big part of everyday life in our culture. When we hit the pause button and deny ourselves this simple pleasure, we are also allowing time to do something else.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION When you deny yourself a simple pleasure like daily TV time, it makes the activity even sweeter once it’s resumed. Encourage your family to join you giving it up this week, and then “break your fast” with a family movie night!

DAY/WEEK 4 SCRIPTURE READING

Have mercy upon me, O God,

know wisdom.

According to Your lovingkindness;

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

According to the multitude of Your

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

tender mercies,

Make me hear joy and gladness,

Blot out my transgressions.

That the bones You have broken may rejoice.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

Hide Your face from my sins,

And cleanse me from my sin.

And blot out all my iniquities.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,

Create in me a clean heart, O God ,

And my sin is always before me.

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Against You, You only, have I sinned,

Do not cast me away from Your presence ,

And done this evil in Your sight—

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

That You may be found just when You speak,

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And blameless when You judge.

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

And sinners shall be converted to You.

Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,

(Ps. 51:1–13 NKJV)

And in the hidden part You will make me to

FASTING SUGGESTION – SHOPPING I have a friend who went a year without buying anything extra beyond food or shelter. It was a radical experiment that showed her how much excess she really didn’t need. I don’t plan on attempting the same experiment, but I do think skipping the Starbucks line or giving up shopping for clothes for a month are great ways to save money and even practice generosity.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Grab some boxes or bags and take the challenge to pare down the excess in your life. We tend to accumulate more than we need. Get a jump-start on spring cleaning. And if you plan to donate items, remember that those in need need our best, not our cast-offs.

DAY/WEEK 5 SCRIPTURE READING Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isa. 58:6–7 NIV)

FASTING SUGGESTION – SWEETS, COFFEE, TEA, OR SODA The first thing I think about when my eyes open every morning is coffee. I love waking up and enjoying a morning brew. I also love sweet tea. Giving up caffeine or this little extra is a great (I didn’t say easy) way to trigger a reminder to pray when the craving hits.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Bake a cake, a pie, or a dozen cookies, and choose someone who could use a little encouragement to share those treats with.

DAY/WEEK 6 SCRIPTURE READING Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.

(1 Pet. 5:6 NRSV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:21 NIV)

FASTING SUGGESTION – SCREEN TIME For most people, screens are a part of everyday life and the temptation to stare them all day long can be overwhelming. When I accidentally leave my phone at home or send my laptop to the repair shop, honestly, I feel a little lost. Taking a physical break from screens also gives us a mental break. Every time we reach for a screen (that isn’t there), we can be reminded to stop and pray.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Use your unplugged free time to find a place to volunteer or serve as a family.

DAY/WEEK 7 SCRIPTURE READING The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, Who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love. (Zeph. 3:17 NABRE) I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NABRE)

FASTING SUGGESTION – WHINING AND COMPLAINING I don’t know about you, but some seasons in my home, complaining is excessive and as common as breathing. When I’m intentional about catching myself whining, I’m surprised at how regularly I’m guilty of being negative. When we are intentional about “giving up” something like complaining and whining, we become more aware of when we are doing it.

MOUNTAIN-MOVING FAMILY MOTIVATION Give each person in the family a rubber band to wear around their wrist. Every time you hear yourself grumbling or griping, give it a snap. Remind your family members that they aren’t allowed to snap anyone else’s rubber band—only their own. It won’t take too many snaps to curb your tongue!

EASTER SUNDAY FAMILY ACTIVITY Read Jesus’ words in John 11:25: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” As a way to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, grow something together. Plant some flowers for spring or bulbs in a flower bed as a reminder of the new life we have been given. And remember: the Light of the world is risen indeed!

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