1. Some people make this an annual practice—a simple, time-limited way to return regularly to one of our key texts. Here’s a way to do it with other United Methodists: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/read-a-chapter-a-day-from-the-gospel-of-john-lenten-challenge. And if you’re not entirely sure where to find the book of John in your Bible, there’s always Bible Gateway online, which you can find here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=NRSVUE.

2. If you want a personal Lenten devotional (as opposed to or in addition to reading the Gospel of John), we have multiple good resources available. Kate Bowler has one on her website (https://katebowler.com/seasonal_devotional/have-a-beautiful-terrible-lent/), and Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (where I got my M.Div. in preparation for ministry) has one on theirs (https://www.pts.edu/devotional_1?utm_source=GoDaddy&utm_medium=email&utm_content=President%27s+Communiqu%C3%A9+November+2023&utm_campaign=20231030_m176925956_President%27s+Communiqu%C3%A9+November+2023&utm_term=Learn+more_).

3. Our Ash Wednesday service will be on the 14th at 7:00 p.m. It’s Valentine’s Day, so you may want to have a lovely dinner before you come!

I’ve included links where appropriate to make this as easy as possible. And whichever you choose of these options, I’ll look forward to worshiping with you each Sunday at church!

Becky

Prayer

Holy God, we live in a world filled with so many resources. Help us not to get overwhelmed by them, but to simply choose one or two where appropriate, and just go with those. Loving you is not a task list, but an opportunity. “Taste and see” that You are good, the psalmist tells us. Help us to remember that this is more encounter and relationship than a task list. Bless our devotions and our practices, that they might always lead us to you. Amen.