Lent

Fast
Pray
Confess
Prepare

Lent is an ancient Christian tradition of preparing one's heart and mind for celebrating Easter. The practices of Lent commemorate the time Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting before beginning his public ministry. Generally it lasts 40 days and consists of some sort of fasting in order to focus on confession and prayer.

Week 1 (Feb 26-Mar4)

Acclimation: God, take the lead in defining my perspective.

Isaiah 55:8-13
1Corinthians 2:9-16
Colossians 3:1-4

Prayer Focus:

- Increase the Spirit of prayer in our church family
- Enrich the meetings of our LifeGroups and help us start more groups
- Increase our view of the glory of God

Week 2 (Mar 5-11)

Examination: Spirit, help me grow in self-awareness and Christ-awareness.

Psalm 51:10-12
2Corinthians 5:17-21
Colossians 3:5-11

Prayer Focus:

- Raise up more C!Station volunteers
- Grow the music ministry of the church: band members & ministry opportunities
- Expand the influence of our C!Youth ministry

Week 3 (Mar 12-18)

Orientation: God, even in the midst of hurting, help me strengthen myself in the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:6
Nehemiah 8:9-12
James 5:13-16

Prayer Focus:

- Provide the resources to pursue our ministry efforts
- Establish the church plants that we help support
- Bring reconciliation in marriages that are struggling

Week 4 (Mar 19-25)

Confession: Spirit, help us dig deep and tell Jesus the "whole truth".

Mark 5:30-34
Luke 18:9-14
1John 1:5-10

Prayer Focus:

- Help us desire more time with You, God.
- Give us the motivation to act on these desires.
- Give us Your joy as we worship, both personally and collectively.
- Help our worship and joy lead us on mission.

Week 5 (Mar 26-Apr 1)

Intercession: Jesus, we will pray for harvest workers as a matter of obedience . . . inspire us also to be working for the harvest ourselves.

Luke 10:1-2
Matthew 28:18-20
Romans 10:8-15

Prayer Focus:

- Lord, increase our influence in Alta Vista and turn hearts toward You.
- Jesus, help us be your witnesses instruments in our neighbourhoods.
- God raise up workers all around Ottawa, who see Your glory & seek to obey.
- Spirit, increase our boldness to speak about what we believe.

Week 6 (Apr 2-8)

Application: Lord, give us courage to love radically and speak boldly.

Ephesians 6:16-19
Romans 16:25-27
Acts 18:24-28

Prayer Focus:

- That we would launch 4+ new LifeGroups this year
- That we would launch Mid-sized Communities (MSCs) to serve our neighbours
- That we would have more opportunities to "GIVE" and "GO" this year
- That our church family would experience deep joy through shared service