Prayer for third Sunday in Lent

This was the prayer I wrote for the third Sunday in Lent, but didn't get posted yesterday. Sorry, I got mixed up about my turn to post.

Lord ,
Here we are on this third Sunday in Lent.
Here we are hungering and thirsting for you.
Here we are overwhelmed by all that is going on in the US and in the world.
Tonight there will be those dressed to the nines receiving awards for making movies and making exorbitant amounts of money; while in other places in the world, there will be those who have little or no money, little or no clothes, little or no food, little or no shelter.
Lord forgive us, but we like to watch and see who won, and we want to know who is with who, how they are dressed and what they have to say.
At the same time, we are aware that our lives are not like theirs, nor is our lives like those who have less or nothing.
And so Lord we hunger and thirst for you in our lives so that we can live as you showed and taught us how to live.
Keep us centered and focused on you Lord, and on serving you.
Amen.

Thinking about Lent

This old girl grew up knowing nothing about the season of Lent. It wasn't until I was living in Louisville, where you have as many Catholics as Baptist that I began to learn about Lent. But really it wasn't until I became Methodist and worshiping churches that were liturgical and went by the lectionary that I really began to learn about Lent. But I can't say I really got into the Lent practices of fasting. Slowly I began to practice fasting or giving up something for Lent. I am like most people and have given up chocolate, being the chocoholic that I am. But I haven't really understood what I was giving it up for?

This year it seems like Lent snuck up on me before I knew it. I wasn't ready for it, hadn't planned my fast or what I was going to give up. So after Ash Wednesday I started praying about it, meditating, and listening to God. Wouldn't you know it that in the middle of the night I heard God speak to me about what I was to give up. The word that came to me was stress. I was going to give up stress for Lent. I knew it within my being that that was true. Why stress? Because it is something I easily fall into, it is my default mode, and it keeps me from God. How am I going to do it? I don't really know yet, and I am still trying to discern that. I do know that we have made some changes in worship that means I am preaching less and thus less stress on me of sermon preparation along with my other responsibilities. What will this mean? I am not really sure. I hope it means more openess between God and I.

Both Saturday and Sunday for the first time in a long time felt less stressful. I had more time for my kids and hubby. We went for walks and bike rides. Of course it helped that the weather cooperated. I really enjoyed it.

What about you, what are doing this Lent? How is it going for you?

image taken from CartoonChurch.com

Lent Bible Study?

Anybody else do a bible study or small group study for Lent?

I have my Wednesday night Bible study planned out until Lent. I find myself in a quandry of what to do for Lent. I asked the group, and got mixed answers. The clearest answer I got was to study a Bible study based on the Lectionary passages. It was one of the ones I offered as a possibility. Can't even remember which catelogue I found it in.

Any of you got some profound ideas? I really don't want to put one together myself, and I really am not interested in teaching the same old same old. I do have a variety of ages in it. I guess I am not ready to think about Lent, but think about it, I must in order to make plans and purchase material. Sigh.

I have already found out that they don't like to do studies based on movies, so those are out. Can you believe it? I love movies. I feel deprived. I wanted to do a movie.