Repairing The Breach

Step 6. Prayer Each study ends with a short prayer. We encourage you to pray together, starting or ending with this prayer and taking time to allow members of the group to speak with and listen to God. Remember… Lent is a time to CONNECT Since the fourth century the six weeks prior to Easter were set aside by Christians as a special time of prayer, fasting and reflection. As we spend time together during this Lenten period, we turn our hearts and minds to what Jesus did, not just in the week of His passion, but also in His life and His actions towards others. Lent is a time to CONNECT with Christ, each other and those around us. Lent is a time to GROW Above all Lent prepares us for the coming of Easter that we may truly GROW into the spirit of Easter; to GROW in our understanding and experience of the passion of Christ, the joy of the hope of new life and in our response to the Spirit’s call to follow Christ in the world. Lent is a time to SERVE It gives us time to reflect on our needs, the needs of others and all that we have and do. There has come to be a custom of ‘giving up for Lent’. Not only are we called to ‘give up for Lent’, we are also called to ‘take up the Cross’ and SERVE the world around us. Lent is a time to GIVE The mission of God is always one of giving. Lent reminds us that we are called to live out in the world the self-sacrificing, self-spending life of Christ. As the Easter Community we are free to practice a radical generosity as we GIVE ourselves, in Jesus’ name, to each other. Bible Translations When doing Bible studies, people often worry about which version they should read. We have usually chosen to use the text from the NRSV in these studies… but…having a range of translations and versions in your study group will sometimes help you to discover more in the text. Whatever you regularly read will do the job if you invite the Spirit to read with you and don’t get too precious about your version being the correct one. Let’s always remember that we all read from translations - and no translation can be perfect. 11