Daily Lenten Prayer
40-Days in the Gospel of John
Click here to access the 40-day Reading Plan through the Gospel of John
Lent 2021 at Grace Sacramento
Over the next six Sundays, our sermon series will explore Biblical ways Christians in history have intentionally prepared for Easter by learning to walk with Jesus through Lenten practices in anticipation of walking with Christ during the last days of His earthly life during the week of His passion, death and resurrection on Easter.
As part of our Lenten journey at Grace Sacramento, we will hold a special season of giving in concert with the practices of Lent. This effort to give above and beyond our regular Sunday offering coincides with our Lent 2021 teaching theme: Intentional Pursuit. Through it, we hope to intentionally pursue caring for children and youth from our neighborhood and city, across the state and around the world. Our goal is to raise $7500. $2500 will sponsor our first ever Vacation Bible School (pandemic permitting) this summer for children at Grace, families in our Grace Learning Center and the neighborhood at large. $2500 will sponsor a Vacation Bible School hosted by a partner ministry in Compton East LA. $2500 will sponsor distance learning and English as a second language for children and youth of refugee families fleeing persecution abroad and relocating to Sacramento through our partnership with World Relief.
Click here to participate in Lent 2021 giving.
What is Lent?
How do we get ready to celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday—two of the most important days of the Christian calendar? Over the years, the church developed a tradition called Lent. Lent can be traced back to the 2nd century. During this season, new Christians would fast and study in preparation to be baptized on Easter Sunday. Eventually, entire congregations practiced Lent as a sign of Christian discipleship. Christians counted forty days back from Easter (excluding Sundays), like Christ’s forty-day fast in the desert (Luke 4), to determine the time frame of the Lenten journey.
Lent is a forty-day journey on which we can stop, look, and listen to what God is doing. It’s a journey for which we should ask ourselves “What things do I need to leave behind so I can travel closer to Jesus? What things should I take with me?” On that journey, we stop to see what God wants us to do. We stop to see what saying “I’m sorry” to others looks like. We stop to see what it means to suffer for Jesus’ sake and to see what the Bible says about Jesus’ suffering. Finally, we walk, step by painful step, with Jesus on the road to the cross during Passion Week. It’s a hard road, but it shines with glory on Easter morning when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection!
Prayer Calendar
Our 2021 Prayer Calendar includes prayer requests in numerous ministry areas; for local/international partner missionaries, for our Tahoe Park community, our pastors/staff, Session and Diaconate. To download your copy of Grace's Prayer Calender,
Daily Prayer Videos
You will be receiving a short Daily Lenten Prayer Video via email each morning (starting February 17th) that goes along with each person or ministry we are praying for in the Lent Calendar that day. Watch the video, and use it to frame and lead you in your daily prayers. We hope that this season would be both an “emptying” and “filling” time of preparation as you journey towards Easter.
If you are not receiving our weekly newsletter, and would like to receieve our Lenten prayers, please contact kris.glass@wearegracesac.org.
Additional Resources
Jesus is Tempted [YouTube Video]
To Ash or Not to Ash [Dr. Tim LeCroy]
What is the Deal with Lent? [Fr. Aaron Damiani]
An Illustrated Lent for Families [Illustrated Ministry]
How to Explain Ash Wednesday to Children [Robin Floch]
Keeping a Holy Lent [Craig Higgins]
Lent Resource Guide [Calvin Institute of Christian Worship]
Holy Week Resource Guide [Calvin Institute of Christian Worship]
History of Lenten Fasting [Dr. Tim Lecroy]