Lent (the six weeks that prepare us for the gifts of Easter) can be a spiritually rich season when we enter into it thoughtfully and prayerfully. Below you will see our invitations for practices of Fasting and Giving undergirded in Prayer, but before we jump to those, we invite God to set a context for the season for us. 

• Remember that God invites us into the desert of the Lenten season not to punish us, but in order to meet with us in a deeper, more intimate way. Through the prophet Hosea, God reveals his intentions most clearly when he says, “I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her.” (Hosea 2:14) 
  
  
• Welcome the Holy Spirit to come alongside you to assess the fruit of your life in this season. The prophet Isaiah sings a song that portrays God as a landowner who lovingly clears ground, plants a vineyard, and intends to harvest sweet grapes. His desire is to welcome all the nations of the earth to the mountain of the Lord for a great feast and fine wine. But, God’s people produce fruit that is wild, tasteless. Welcoming God to help us assess the fruit of our lives can be daunting. But, it’s necessary. If we do not take this step, the practices of Lent become religious drudgery. If we take this step in trust, God will begin a deep, transformative work in our lives. 
  
  
• When you ponder the fruit of your life in this season, let the Lord celebrate the good fruit of your life. Especially if you are in a season in which you are engaged in much hidden or misunderstood labor. 
  
  
• As you think about the fruit of your life that is not sweet or nourishing, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance about which of these areas God most wants to address. It may take time to come to clarity about this question. Let increasing clarity be part of your Lenten journey.
  
  
• In the context of your ongoing pondering about the state of the vineyard of your soul, make clear intentions about the Lenten practices of Fasting and Giving. What will you give up? What acts of service will you take up this week?
  
  
• Carve out daily moments of Prayerful reflection. If we do not, Fasting and Giving can quickly lose their meaning. Listen for the voice of the One who speaks tenderly to you about the most important matters of life.

Each Sunday as a community, we will refresh and renew our intentions for the week ahead. We’ve provided many suggestions for possible Fasts and acts of Giving. You are welcome to choose among these options or to write the ones that most suit your sense of God’s invitation to you as God sweetens the fruit of your life in this season.