Lent-2015-logoDo you ever sense the ‘tug of war’ between God’s values and those of the world around us? For instance, the world says, “If someone hurts you, strike back and get even.” Yet God’s Word says, “Turn the other cheek.” The American marketing theme is: ‘the one with the most toys wins,’ but Jesus says: “Seek first the Kingdom of God.”  The voice inside of us shouts, “It’s all about me!” but God’s Word reminds us to “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Could it be that God’s values turn the world’s values upside down. Could it be that God calls us, and inspires us to a life that seems “upside down” to the world around us?

This may seem a bit strange, but this isn’t the first time Christians have been described as those living upside down. Back in the early days of the church, people complained about Christians: “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also!” Acts 17:6

Have we ever considered Lent as a call to live upside down? Can we understand these 40 days of journeying with Jesus to the cross as a radical call to live his values and principles of his Kingdom which may be different from the ones we normally live? If so, then our 2015 Lent Journey may be a new way of living upside down!

Ways to Engage with Lent this Year

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3.

  1. Lenten Suppers and Vespers on Wednesday
  2. Partipate in an Outreach Project
  3. Daily Practice of Scripture and Prayer

1. Join Us for Lenten Vespers on Wednesday Evenings

  • Begin the evening with a community dinner from 5:30 – 6:45 in the Fellowship Hall
  • Dinner will be provided by the following ministry teams:
  • Lenten Worship: Gather in the Worship Center at 7:00pm.
    • We will once again use the Holden Evening Prayer service in our Lenten worship.
    • animate_practices_logoWe will learn from the powerful Animate video series called “Practices.” Taught by some of today’s most passionate and intentional disciples of Jesus, these video-teachings invite us to explore a way of life that is rooted in the traditional Lent practices of prayer, worship, money, service, and community.
  • Children are invited and welcome to come to Rockin’ Kids Bible Club. (RKBC) will begin our night with choir at 6:30 in the Nap Room, attend a portion of the worship service, and then explore our night’s story and activity. Children attending worship who do not normally attend RKBC may join us either at 6:30 in the Nap Room or when the children are dismissed from the worship service. All children are to be picked up in Nap Room after worship.
  • Catechism students will meet in the Worship Center at 7:00pm and be dismissed following the video to meet with their small groups.

2. Participate with an Outreach Opportunity

SHARING FOOD – locally

Please bring non-perishable food items to the Welcome Center in the church lobby each time you come to church during Lent.  All donated food will be given to the local ACBC Food Shelf or it will be used to restock our own ‘May All Be Fed’ Food Shelf at Grace.  Each of your donated food items will be a blessing to nourish local families in Anoka County.

SHARING FUNDS – globally

Noisy Offerings during Lent will be invested in a business development called The Bakery Project in Rakai, Uganda (part of African Children Today). This global outreach to Africa continues through our relationships with Richard and Johnson who spoke to us during worship last November. This Bakery Project will provide skill training, job opportunities, income resources for vulnerable women, revenue to fund school supplies…not to mention FRESH and affordable bread for the people in Rakai. We simply cannot imagine the blessing this will be!

SHARING TIME –  with local & global impact

You are invited to pack meals at Feed My Starving Children Sat. March 14 from 7-9 pm with over 120 volunteers from Grace!

You are invited to serve in ministering to families in homeless situations as we host Family Promise guests at our church March 8-15.

SHARING YOURSELF – both locally & globally

Please continue to pray and seek out opportunities to share your time, talents and treasures during this Lenten journey of Living Upside Down.  Simple ways of sharing God’s grace may include – sharing your listening ear with your neighbor, sharing your helpful hands with co-worker, sharing your gift of time with family and friends, sharing your food with the hungry, sharing your resources to support FMSC or The Bakery Project in Rakai.

3. Daily Practice of Scripture and Prayer

Daily scripture reading, prayer, and meditation is an important part of spiritual formation throughout the year. Lent is a great time to get into the habit. Download the printable Reading Schedule. You can also access the daily reading schedule in the sidebar. This list has a link to the text online. If you would like a some food for thought to accompany your reading, you might want to read Pastor Steve’s daily devos below.

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  • Can We Trust God When All Seems Lost? | A Devo on Genesis 15:1-6
    The text for the upcoming sermon is Genesis 15:1-6. God had made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 that he would make his descendants into a great nation and that through that nation all nations would be blessed. Abraham had left everything to follow God’s leading. His father, Terah, moved them from Ur to Haran. ...
  • Why Do You Love God?
    Next weekend we begin a five-week sermon series through the book of Job from the collection of Wisdom literature in the Hebrew Scripture. Most people react to this news with either an eye roll or a slouch in the shoulders. “Job! Really? It’s so depressing.” True. Job can be a depressing book. After all, it’s about ...
  • What is Love? | A Devo on 1 Corinthians 13
    1 Corinthians is a letter written by the apostle Paul to a contentious people. He spends much of the letter correcting their negative and destructive behavior. Yet, here in 1 Corinthians 13, nestled in the middle of the constant correctives to chaotic Corinthians comes a beautiful gem that radiates the deep truth of God’s Kingdom. ...
  • Preparing for 1 Corinthians
    We make a big shift in our preaching this weekend. The fourth week in our mini-series on the book of Acts is actually an introduction and launch pad for a short study of the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. This weekend we go to Acts 18:1-4 where Paul settles in Corinth and sets up ...
  • Blessed to Be a Blessing…Really?
    This week I am faced with a difficult challenge. I must preach on Acts 3:1-10. It is the story where Peter and John heal a man who was born crippled. It is an amazing and wonderful story that shows the power of resurrection and the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. It is difficult because I ...