Encouraging prayer during Lent

Prayer is an act of worship and an expression of our faith. We communicate with God, through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout his life, Jesus modelled ways to pray, but still, the disciples asked him how to do it. Jesus gave them, and us, the Lord’s Prayer. He is not teaching us what to say but how to pray (Luke 11:2–4).

Through prayer, we come close to God, and God comes close to us. We can bring to him anything we want to talk about and can pray with and for others. We encourage you to pray daily during Lent for your family, community and those near and far. Use the Prayer Cross as a guide (click here to download it).

May your home prayer life be encouraged by knowing that:

• Jesus modelled how to pray and gave us words to say in the Lord’s Prayer.
• Simple thank-you prayers for each other are an easy way to begin. Thank God for the small and large moments, the ordinary and the sacred times.
• There are many ways to pray: bedtime prayers, mealtime prayers, prayers of thanks and praise to God.
• A simple blessing can create a special time and bond within families. As family members leave for school or work, simply say, ‘God bless you’.
• God is always ready to listen to everything we have to say.

GIFT (GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER) LENT

Passing on the Christian faith involves a partnership of generations, individuals and families. GIFT Lent is an excellent resource to share the rituals and traditions of Lent and Easter in a fun, interactive way. It works well to encourage families to share their faith at home with activities for all ages. It is an excellent resource for schools and is full of activities, craft, worship ideas and dramas. GIFT Lent provides all you need to hold an intergenerational worship service and/or event.

This resource includes:

• Worship ideas
• Dramas
• Worship activities
• Activities
• Take-home sheets for families
• And so much more …

You can download GIFT Lent at www.growministries.org.au/product/gift-lent

Jodi Brook is the LCANZ’s Local Mission Coordinator.