A Call to Live: A Lenten Study Guide

8/8/2019 A Call to Live: A Lenten Study Guide

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A CAll to liveL e n t e n S t u d y G u i d e


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World Vision Church Engagement and World Vision Resources produced this educational resource.

Copyright 2009 by World Vision Inc., Mail Stop 321, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063-9716,

[email protected]. All rights reserved.

Editorial Director: Milana McLead

Editor-in-Chie: Jane Sutton-Redner

Project Editor: Laurie Delgatto

Author: Brittany Peters

Contributing Authors: Billy Jack Blankenship, Scott Erickson David Hynds, Sara Pearsaul Vice,

Kristie Urich, Christopher Yuan

Copyeditor: Penny Bonnar

Production and Design Coordination: Journey Group Inc.

The Scripture in this resource is rom the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright

1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission o Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Portions o the Lenten summary in the introduction are quoted or adapted rom Tony Alonso, Return to the Lord:

Praying and Living Lent (Winona, MN: Saint Marys Press 2007), page 1. Copyright 2007 by St. Marys Press. All

rights reserved.

Portions o the Lenten summary in the introduction are quoted rom Dorothy Sayers, Bread and Wine: Readingsor Lent and Easter, (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2005), Introduction. Copyright by Orbis Books. All rights

reserved.

The quotation on page 8 is rom Evelyn Underhill, The House o the Soul and Concerning the Inner Lie

(Minneapolis, MN: Winston Press 1984), page 30. Copyright 1984 by Winston Press. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 8 is rom Duane Elgin in Simpler Living, Compassionate Lie: A Christian Perspective

(Denver, CO: Living the Good News 1999), page 18. Copyright 1999 Earth Ministry. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 15 is rom Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: The Ragamufns Path to God(San Francisco:

Harper Collins, 2002), pages 120121. Copyright 2002 by Brennan Manning. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 18 is rom Richard J. Foster, Money, Sex & Power (United Kingdom: Hodder & Stoughton

Religious, 1999), page 36. Copyright 1999 by Hodder & Stoughton Religious. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 18 is rom Henri Nouwen, Show Me the Way (New York: The Crossroads Publishing

Company, 1992), page 26. Copyright 1992 by the Crossroads Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 22 is rom Norman Cousins, Human Options: An Autobiographical Notebook (New York:

WW & Norton, 1991), page 35. Copyright 1991 by W. W. & Norton. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 22 is rom Frederick Buechner, Wishul ThinkingNew York: Continuum Books, 1994), page

18. Copyright 1994 by Continuum Books. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 25 is rom Calvin M. Johansson in Creativity: The Reormed View, by Dr. Barry Liesch, at

www.worshipino.com. Accessed December 1, 2008. Copyright 1999 by Dr. Barry Liesch.

The quotation on page 26 is rom Dorothy Sayers, The Mind o the Maker (New York, NY: Continuum Publishing,

2005), page 17. Copyright by Continuum. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 29 is rom Frederick Buechner, Now and Then (San Francisco, Harper & Row, 1983), page

87. Copyright 1983 by Harper & Row. All rights reserved.

The quotation on page 30 is rom William Gibson in Beyond Survival: Bread and Justice in Christian Perspective

(Cincinnati, OH: Friendship Press, 1977), pages 137-138. Copyright 1977 by Friendship Press. All rights reserved.

During the preparation o this resource, all citations, acts, gures, names, addresses, telephone numbers, Internet

URLs, and other cited inormation were veried or accuracy. World Vision Resources has made every attempt to

reerence current and valid sources, but we cannot guarantee the content o any source and we are not responsible

or any changes that may have occurred since our verication. I you nd an error in, or have a question or concern

about, any o the inormation or sources listed within, please contact World Vision Resources.


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A CAll to livel e n t e n S t u d y G u i d e


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introduCtion

During Lent, people around the world come together in remembrance, celebration, and response to the

story o Christ with the desire to be changed not just or a season, but also or the rest o our lives. In the

Catholic and some Protestant traditions, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday when Christians are signed with

ashes on their oreheads. The ashes are a sign o repentance, dating back to the Old Testament when King

David shed his regal clothes or sackcloth and ashes as a sign o repentance and mourning.

During Lent, Christians are encouraged to ocus their energy on three disciplines: prayer, asting and

almsgiving (sharing our gits with the poor). The extra time spent praying during Lent can lead us closer

to God. During Lent we are encouraged to ocus our prayer on the places in our lives and in our world

that need improvement. Our asting isnt about denying ourselves as a sort o punishment, and it isnt even

about ood. We ast rom television, ood, video games, computers, and other simple everyday indulgencesso we can literally hunger or God. Our asting also puts us in touch with those whose hunger is never lled

because they live in poverty. Finally, our praying and asting lead us to action.

Tony Alonso, Return to the Lord: Praying and Living Lent

To make the Easterstory into something that neither startles, shocks, terries, nor excites is to cruciy the

Son o God aresh. Certainly that would have been unthinkable or Jesus rst ollowers, who experienced

it rsthand: the heady excitement o his entry into Jerusalem, the traitorous cunning o Judas and the guilty

recognition o their own cowardice, the terror o his slow suocation, and nally the disarming wonder o

an empty grave and a living body resurrected rom the dead.

As or us, his latter-day disciples, ew would deny the magnitude or drama o these events. But how many

o us embrace their pain and promise? How many o us, even at Easter, give Christs death and resurrectionany more attention than the weather? Lent oers an opportunity to strike at the root o such complacency.

Lent (literally springtime) is a time o preparation, a time to return to the desert where Jesus spent40

days readying or his ministry. First popularized in the ourth century, Lent is a time or giving things up,

balanced by giving to those in need.

Lent is not intendedto be an annual ordeal during which we begrudgingly orgo a handul o pleasures.

It is meant to be the churchs springtime, a time when, out o the darkness o sins winter, a repentant,

empowered people emerges.

Put another way, Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. Our sel-sacrices serve no

purpose unless, by laying aside this or that desire, we are able to ocus on our hearts deepest longing: unity

with Christ. In him--in his suering and death, his resurrection and triumph-- we nd our truest joy.

Dorothy Sayers, Bread and Wine: Readings or Lent and Easter

l e n t e n s t u d y g u i d ea c a l l t o l i v e


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how to uSe thiS Study

This Lenten study invites individuals and groups to journey through the six weeks o Lent through

refection, prayer, celebration, and engagement in the ministry and lie o Christ. The resource is designed

to be as fexible as possible so you or your group can pray and refect at your own pace and in a way that

ts your schedule. Consider these possible uses:

Sel-study: or the individual wanting to experience the deeper meaning o Lent

Small-group study: or those desiring to grow together during the season

Family study: or a amily wishing to learn and engage one another while preparing or

Easter

Web site posting: or churches wishing to post daily or weekly Lenten refections or use by

a congregation

Bulletin posting: or churches wishing to duplicate and include in each weeks church bulletin

or newsletter

Each weeks study oers a unique and engaging theme:

Week One: A Call to Live Simply

Week Two: A Call to Live Humbly

Week Three: A Call to Live Generously

Week Four: A Call to Live Compassionately

Week Five: A Call to Live Creatively

Week Six: A Call to Live Fully

The resource provides you or your group with the tools to move rom refection, meditation, and celebration

to action and engagement. There is no set schedule or how to use the study each day during the week; this

allows you whatever time you need to refect and meditate and study at your own pace.

Week One o this study, A Call to Live Simply, begins on the rst Sunday in Lent. From Ash Wednesday

to this rst Sunday, there is a shortened study that includes inormation about the global ood crisis.

Participants should read through this shortened study and complete the suggested activity beore starting

this rst weeks study.



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I

n spring 2008, massive shocks to the world ood markets highlighted shortages and inequities in ood

availability and distribution. As a result, more people worldwide are experiencing chronic hunger.

This situation is pushing vulnerable people into riskier actions and livelihoods in order to survive and

provide ood or their amilies. World Vision is working to enhance the work already under way toaddress the critical short- and long-term ood needs o children, amilies, and communities.

The actors contributing to rising ood prices include the ollowing:

Rising fuel and transportation costs

Political turmoil and conict

Growing populations and increased consumption of meat

Climactic variations, including droughts, oods, and storms that have destroyed harvests

Poor environmental care

Increased demand for food crops for use in producing biofuels

Speculation and hoarding of food commodities

Long-term issues such as unfair trade

When ood supplies are low, children are always the most vulnerable. The statistics are overwhelming:

53 percent o all deaths o children younger than 5 are linked to hunger.

4.8 million children die rom hunger each year. That is 13,000 children a day, or one child

every seven seconds.

Even i a child does not die directly rom starvation, malnutrition makes children more prone toand

likely to die romillnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and measles. The current crisis is exac-

erbating an already unacceptable situation. Increases in ood prices could push another 100 million people

deeper into poverty; 35 million o them will be children.

Even a small increase in ood prices hits the poor hard. The poorest people in developing countries can

spend up to 75 percent o their income on ood, leaving little let or things like education and health care.

While the world produces more than enough to eed its entire population o some 6.5 billion, more than

963 million people go hungry every day. This is a grave injustice, and we can no longer claim ignorance to

the plight o our brothers and sisters around the world.

(Sources: Malaria and Children: Progress Intervention Coverage, UNICEF, 2007; Nutrition or Health and Develop-

ment, WHO, 2007; State o the Worlds Children, UNICEF, 2009; and The World Bank, FAO and Brieng Paper,Hunger on the Rise, 2008)

a s h w e d n e s d a y t o s a t u r d a y

t Ga F Css:t Facs


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reFleCtinG on the CriSiS

With the current economic turmoil, people may turn away rom giving. When money is tight, it is hard to

care about the suering o those living so ar away. You may be struggling to make ends meet yoursel. But

do you ever wonder i you will have ood to eat tomorrow? Have you ever tried to survive on just one meal

every ew days? Can you imagine watching your child starve to death? The truth is that although there is

a great deal o suering in America, we rarely experience true starvation. There are so many saety nets in

the orm o shelters, ood stamps, soup kitchens, etc. Very ew o us know what it is like to be completely

dependent on our own crops and have to watch our children suer when the rainall is scarce or the land

ails to produce.

As we begin this Lent season, it is important to remember that we do not give things up or the sake o

tradition, ritual, or guilt. We give up so that we may be ree to give. We may choose to give up watching

TV so that we can use the time saved to tutor kids, or we may give up buying clothes so we can put the

money toward helping someone. Part o the sacrice is oten giving our attention to God. When we let

go o the things that consume our thoughts and time, we are reed to turn our thoughts toward God. The

hope is that as we begin to loosen our grip on our stu and turn our attention toward God, we will be

open to sharing more and loving more.

Refect on the ollowing questions:

Beore starting this study, were you aware that there is a global ood crisis? Do you eel mo-

tivated to make a dierence, or does the crisis seem so immense and distant that it is hard to

believe that your eorts will have any impact?

Have you ever participated in Lent beore? I so in what ways? Do you believe it is important

to engage in Lent? I so, why?

Why do you desire to go through this Lenten study?

Think o something that would be dicult or you to give up during Lent. Why would this

be dicult?


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ACtion

During this shortened week, create a Living Simply Jar. This jar will be reerred to oten in the weekly

action section o this study. Take a jar, coee can, shoe box, or any other type o container and decorate

it however you wish (use pictures, quotes, colorul paper, Scriptures, etc.). Place a marking on it that says

living simply so that others may simply live, and use it to store money saved during Lent. At the end

o Lent, donate the money toward the global ood crisis. Consider using the jar throughout the year and

donating to the same or dierent causes each month. This is a un activity to do on your own or with a

amily or small group.

where to Give

During this Lenten season, let us turn our eyes toward the global ood crisis. Let us refect on, pray about,

and respond to the desperate needs o so many. I you desire to give toward the global ood crisis, youll

want to reer to the Help Care or Hungry Children handout, which can be ound at the end o this

resource. There you will nd instructions on how and where to send your donations.

StAtionS oF the CroSS

As preparation or the Easter celebration, consider refecting on the Stations o the Cross. The stations

have been spread out over six weeks, so you can take time each week to refect, meditate, and pray as you

read through the story o Christs journey to the cross.

Week One:

Jesus on the Mount o Olives: Luke 22:3946

Jesus, betrayed by Judas, is arrested: Luke 22:4748

Week Two:

Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin: Luke 22:6671

Peter denies Jesus: Luke 22:5462

Week Three:

Jesus is judged by Pilate: Luke 23:1325

Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns: Luke 22:6365; John 19:23

Week Four:

Jesus takes up the cross: Mark 15:20

Simon o Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross: Luke 23:26

Jesus meets the women o Jerusalem: Luke 23:2731

Week Five:

Jesus is crucied: Luke 23:33, 47

Jesus promises his Kingdom to the good thie: Luke 23:3943

Jesus on the cross; his mother and his disciple: John 19:2527

Week Six:

Jesus dies on the cross: Luke 23:4447

Jesus is placed in the tomb: Luke 23:5054; Mark 16:14



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JeSuS on SimpliCity(Matthew 6:1924)

Do not store up or yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and wherethieves break in and steal. But store up or yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and

rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp o the body. I your eyes are good, your whole body will be ull o light. But i your

eyes are bad, your whole body will be ull o darkness.

I then the light within you is darkness, how great is

that darkness!

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the

one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the

one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God

and money.

my Journey to SimpliCityDavid Hynds, Web content specialist, Anderson University

As strange as it sounds, I credit a cookbook as being the most infuential piece o literature in my journey

toward simplicity. One o my riends growing up was Mennonite. His mom always made incredible ood,

so one day on a whim I bought mysel a Mennonite cookbook. When I arrived home, I opened it up and

began reading. The book helped me discover the relationship between living simply and what I eat.

For me, living simply is a journey; it was not an instantaneous transormation. I live in an intentional

community with 10 other people. Over the past ew years, our diet has transormed rom including meat

at least twice a day to including it, at most, twice a week. Since we also share groceries and buy grains inbulk, I spend less on ood than anything else in my budget. I have more energy and eel healthier than ever

beore. Most importantly, I eel like I am making a small but meaningul contribution toward solving the

problem o world hunger.

Additionally, since this simple diet is dramatically less expensive, we are reer to open up our table to

those around us. Our house hosts dinners on a weekly basis or riends and neighbors. The experience has

reshaped my understanding o communion. The act o sharing a meal creates an unmistakable eeling o

connectedness. Through the communal partaking o ood and drink, we enter into communion with each

other and in that unity become the body o Christ.

A Ca l S

f i r s t s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k o n e

fast fact

One out of every seven peopleon earth goes hungry.

State of the Worlds Children Report 2


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In my experience living simply is not an ascetic denial o my own needs or a withdrawal into isolation.

Rather, it is an act o identication with the larger body o Christ. I have ound that by relinquishing my

perceived right to independence and through embracing simplicity and the amily o God, I am ree to

celebrate the abundance that God provides with the condence that my celebration is not at the expense o

others. This reedom and abundance is the very soil that yields new lie.

reFleCtinG on SimpliCity

Consider that wonderul worldo lie in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms o

birth, growth, and deathall the things that really matter are not in your control. That unhurried processwill go orward in its stately beauty, little aected by your anxious uss. Find out, then, where your trea-

sure really is. Discern substance rom accident. Dont conuse your meals with your lie, and your clothes

with your body. Dont lose your head over what perishes. Nearly everything does perish: so ace the acts,

dont rush ater the transient and unreal. Maintain your soul in tranquil dependence on God; dont worry;

dont mistake what you possess or what you are. Accumulating things is useless. Both mental and material

avarice are merely silly in view o the dread acts o lie and death. The White Knight would have done

better had he let his luggage at home. The simpler your house, the easier it will be to clean. The ewer the

things and the people you simply must have, the nearer you will be to the ideal o happiness as having

nothing, to possess all.

Evelyn Underhill, The House o the Soul and Concerning the Inner Lie

Simplicity o living, i deliberately chosen, implies a compassionate approach to lie. It means that we arechoosing to live our daily lives with some degree o conscious appreciation o the condition o the rest o

the world.

Duane Elgin in Simpler Living, Compassionate Lie: A Christian Perspective

reFleCtion QueStionS

In the culture you grew up in or currently live in, what things are dened as needs? Why do

you think these things are oten seen as needs?

What treasures do you store up on earth? Are these items necessities or are they luxuries?

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What did Jesus mean when he said, You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew

6:24)? What are some examples o how we serve money over God?

What did you learn rom David Hynds story? How did his journey to simplicity ree him to

live better both locally and globally?

What do you think about Evelyn Underhills quote? How did it challenge you to see the

things you possess dierently?

What do you think about Evelyn Underhills statement, Both mental and material avarice

are merely silly in view o the dread acts o lie and death?

Do you agree with Duane Elgins quote that living simply is a compassionate approach to

lie? Why or why not?

In what ways do you currently live simply?

livinG Simply

This week, sit down and make a list o the luxuries and excess spending in your lie. This may include

things like buying new clothes, going out to eat oten, or getting regular beauty treatments. Decide on one

or a ew items to give up during the six weeks o Lent and put the money you would normally spend on

these items or services into your living simply jar. At the end o Lent, donate this money toward the

global ood crisis.

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SCripture For Further Study

These Scriptures relate to living simply. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide to meditate

and dig deeper into a certain passage throughout the week.

Mark 10:1731

Matthew 6:2534

1 Thessalonians 5:1228

Luke 9:1827

3 John

Matthew 18:14Luke 12:2234

Genesis 1:31

Amos 5:24

Psalm 24:1

Mark 12:30

1 John 3:17

James 1:22

Romans 12:5

John 6: 811

James 2:1516

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JeSuS on humility(Matthew 6:18; 23:1112)

Be careul not to do your acts orighteousness beore men, to be seen by

them. I you do, you will have no reward

rom your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce

it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the

synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by

men. I tell you the truth, they have received their

reward in ull. But when you give to the needy, do

not let your let hand know what your right hand

is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then

your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will

reward you.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, or they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on

the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in ull. But when

you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who

sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, or

they think they will be heard because o their many words. Do not be like them, or your Father knows

what you need beore you ask him.

The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himsel will be humbled, and anyone who

humbles himsel will be exalted.

my Journey to humilityKristie Urich, program manager, World Vision, United States

Id never thought o myselas a prideul person, which is, I suppose, a passive way o saying that I thought

I was a very humble person. It took a signicant adventure in lie to reveal the depths o my pride. Humility

is essential in the lie o anyone, especially a ollower o Christ, who hopes both to experience and have an

impact on the world.

A Ca l h

s e c o n d s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k t w o

fast fact

There are some 963 millionundernourished peopleworldwide; 907 millionundernourished people indeveloping countries.

Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World

Hunger on the Rise, 2008


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s e c o n d s u n d a y o f l e n t t o s a t u r d ayw e e k t w o

I had long wanted to live overseas. I wanted to experience the world, learn new languages, and integrate

into new cultures. I grew up airly nave, so I had no idea what cultural integration and experience o the

world truly meant. Plus, I had very specic rules about where I would go. For instance, I did notwant to

go to Arica. In my mental stereotypes, I envisioned it as a dirty place with no electricity and strange ood,

including insects, to eat. At that point in my lie, I believed my blow dryer was a necessity, not a luxury, and

there was no way on earth I would ever, EVER, even touch a bug, let alone allow it to pass the portal o my

lips. I was proven wrong on this level and many others through my experience as a Peace Corps volunteer.

When I began my application process to the Peace Corps, I prayed or God to guide where I would go and

what I would do. Secretly, I really wanted to be an English teacher in Eastern Europe or Asia. Secretly, I

wished I would not be sent to Arica to eat bugs and have rizzy hair. Well, the Peace Corps invited me tobe a health educator in Cameroon, a country in West Arica, which was as ar away rom where I wanted

to go as I could get. I was sent to a village in the least-developed province in Cameroon. For two years, I

lived miles away rom a paved road, electricity, and clean water.

My experience as a Peace Corps volunteer was a rich adventure. Among many things, it was an opportunity

to be humbled. My ears o bad hair and bug eating proved rivolous. Prior to this experience, I took or

granted all the luxuries I had in my lie in the United Statesrom reliable electricity to drinkable water

to health care to enough ood. I quickly learned that I have so much more to learn than to give. I brought

home so much more than I let behind.

I was humbled by how helpless I was in the village context. Here I was, coming in as a Westerner rom the

developed world, with all this knowledge to impart to them. All the while, I was truly helpless without

the those I came to serve. I needed someone to teach me the language. I needed a riend to teach me how tocarry water on my head, how to cook local ood, how to cut my grass with a machete, and how to bargain

at the market. I needed people to reach out to me to beriend the strange, lone white woman who came to

their village to help.

The generosity and community I witnessed in the midst o poverty humbled me most. In my village, there

were many living in poverty. I knew people who lost very young children because o diarrhea and malaria,

amilies who didnt know where their next meal would come rom, mothers who elt compelled to sell their

bodies to eed their children, and people who suered and died o AIDS. Still, in the midst o all that, I

experienced such welcoming generosity and colorul lie, a lie not ocused on things and suering but on

courage and relationships.

So, ater two years o bad hair, bucket dents in my head, exotic ood, wrenching heartache, and surprising

joy, I returned home changed and deeply mindul that, without humility, we miss so many rich opportunities

in lie, both to touch and be touched by all kinds o people wed never imagine meeting. Humility opens

our hearts to truly listen to God and others. It opens our lives to engage courageously in new adventures.

And bugs dont taste too bad, either.


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reFleCtinG on humility

Humble men and women do not have a low opinion o themselves; they have no opinion o themselves,

because they so rarely think about themselves. The heart o humility lies in undivided attention to God, a

ascination with his beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to

us, and a de-selng o our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Humility is maniested in an indierence

to our intellectual, emotional, and physical well being and a careree disregard o the image we present.

No longer concerned with appearing to be good, we can move reely in the mystery o who we really are,

aware o the sovereignty o God and o our absolute insuciency and yet moved by a spirit o radical sel-

acceptance without sel-concern.

Humble people are without pretense, ree rom any sense o spiritual superiority, and liberated rom the

need to be associated with persons o importance. The awareness o their spiritual emptiness does not

disconcert them. Neither overly sensitive to criticism nor infated by praise, they recognize their brokenness,

acknowledge their gits, and reuse to take themselves seriously.

Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: The Ragamufns Path to God


Do you like to be acknowledged or your good works? Why or why not?

Why do you think God calls each o us to do acts o righteousness in secret? What attributes

does this kind o giving require?

Think o a time that you received someones kindness anonymously. How did that make

you eel?

Think o a time that you gave anonymously. What was that like?

How did Kristie Urich learn humility? How have you learned humility?

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What did you think about Brennan Mannings quote? Does this description t anyone you

know? I so, who?

Do you ever mistake humility or sel-rejection instead o sel-acceptance without sel-

concern? Why or why not?

How would your lie change i you were completely unconcerned by what others thought oyou and instead put all your attention upon God? Would this bring you reedom?

livinG humbly

This week, challenge yoursel to do kind things or others without being seen. Write someone an

anonymous encouragement card. Anonymously donate money or volunteer your time at a place and not

tell anyone about it. Challenge yoursel to not tell people about the things you are giving up and the money

you are putting in your living simply jar. Be creative in your desire to do good without the need or

recognition.


These Scriptures relate to living humbly. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide to meditate

and dig deeper into a certain passage throughout the week.

Matthew 5:3

Matthew 7:14

Matthew 11:29

Jeremiah 10:2335

2 Corinthians 12:19

1 Peter 5:56

Romans 1:117

Isaiah 6:18

Matthew 23:112

Acts 10:148

Matthew 3: 117

Galatians 6:1118

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JeSuS on GeneroSity(Mark 12:4144)

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the oerings were put and watched the crowd putting theirmoney into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came

and put in two very small copper coins,worth only a raction o a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury

than all the others. They all gave out o their wealth; but she, out o her poverty, put in everythingall she

had to live on.

my Journey to GeneroSityBilly Jack Blankenship, Minister o Children

and Families, Solana Beach Presbyterian Church

During my fnal yearat Point Loma NazareneUniversity in San Diego, I took a course called A

Theology or Communities o Faith, a class that

discussed what it means to be Christian. One element

o the class was to spend a week at the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles. The mission is

on Skid Row, the most condensed population o homeless people in Los Angeles. In an eort to learn more

about dierent communities, we ed the homeless, volunteered with a local congregation, and spent time

on the streets to engage people in the area.

Our proessor and tour guide was a man named Ron, a ormer pastor in the Los Angeles area or nearly

20 years. Ron was one o the very ew saints that I have ever met. As we walked around Skid Row, people

came out o shops, stores, alleys, and churches to greet him. It was like walking with a amous person. For

every street and sidewalk we toured, he had a sociological context to oer us and some deep theological

nugget or us to ponder. One stop on our tour was the corner o Florence and Normandy, the site where the

1991 riots erupted. As we were talking, a homeless manbearded, dirty, and wearing tattered clothes

approached Ron, asking or a couple o dollars so he could get something to eat.

Ron asked the man his name, chatted with him or a moment, and handed him a ew dollars. As soon as the

man walked away, one student (I will keep rom naming him), with an annoyingly arrogant tone, asked Ron,

Why did you give him that money? You know he is just going to buy beer with it, or drugs even. Ron, who

is a very gracious person, paused or a moment, a good 30 seconds, looking o into the distance.

A Ca l Gs

t h i r d s u n d a y o f l e n t t o s a t u r d ayw e e k t h r e e

fast fact

1.02 billion peopleare undernourished

worldwide.Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2009.


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Then he said something that has orever changed the way I view giving, sacrice, and Lent. He looked at

the student and said, True, he might do that. But, you know, when I think about Jesus and the sacrice he

made, so we may be reed to live lie to the ull, I am very thankul that he didnt say, God, I dont want

to go through with it, because some o them are not going to do right with what I am giving them. Ron

continued, Jesus gave reely. He didnt qualiy his giving based on whether people would reject it. He just

gave. We give because we are supposed to, not because o how they will use it. It is never wrong to sacrice

or another. The more we practice giving, the better the world will be.

reFleCtinG on GeneroSity

Giving with gladand generous hearts has a way o routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the

poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act o letting go o money, or some other treasure, does

something within us. It destroys the demon greed.

Richard J. Foster, Money, Sex & Power

Once we have given up our desire to be ully ullled, we can oer emptiness to others. Once we have

become poor, we can be a good host. It is indeed the paradox o hospitality that poverty makes a good

host. Poverty is the inner disposition that allows us to take away our deenses and convert our enemies into

riends. We can only perceive the stranger as an enemy as long as we have something to deend. But when

we say, Please enter my house is your house, my joy is your joy, my sadness is your sadness, and my lie is

your lie, we have nothing to deend, since we have nothing to lose but all to give.

Henri Nouwen, Show Me the Way


What can you learn rom the story o the widows oering?

How oten does our culture value quantity over the condition o ones giving?

How does greed and measuring our worth against others make it hard to give generously?

What ears perpetuate your unwillingness to give?



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Do you really believe that your nances belong to God? Why or why not?

Are you oten hesitant to give because you are not sure how the money will be handled? Why or

why not?

What did you learn rom Billy Jack Blankenships story about Ron? Do you agree with Rons

point that Jesus didnt qualiy his sacrice based on what people would do with it, so we shouldalso give reely?

How might you be transormed by simply letting go o the tight hold you may have on money?

What does Henri Nouwens quote have to do with this theme o generosity? Why do some think

that having enough money will bring ulllment? How can this misperception keep us rom living

generously?

livinG GenerouSly

This week, make a list o reasons why you nd it dicult to give generously. Write down ears, anxieties

about the uture, desire or more, etc. Take time to talk to God about your ear o trusting him when it

comes to giving generously.

Stretch yoursel to be generous in the amount o money you put into your living simply jar this week,

even i it eels uncomortable.


These Scriptures relate to living generously. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide to

meditate and dig deeper into a certain passage throughout the week.

Luke 6:3650

Exodus 35:429

Mark 12:4144

Philippians 4:1023

Luke 7:3650

Proverbs 11:24

Acts 20:35

2 Corinthians 9:615

Proverbs 19:17

Matthew 19:21

Luke 11:41

Deuteronomy 15:7

2 Corinthians 8:115

1 Timothy 6:621

Romans 12:8



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w e e k 4 p a g e 1

JeSuS on CompASSion(Matthew 25:3145)

When the Son o Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne

in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered beore him, and he will separate the people

one rom another as a shepherd separates the sheep rom the goats. He will put the sheep on

his right and the goats on his let.

Then the King will say to those on his right, Come,

you who are blessed by my Father; take your

inheritance, the kingdom prepared or you since

the creation o the world. For I was hungry and

you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and

you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger

and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you

clothed me, I was sick and you looked ater me, Iwas in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when

did we see you hungry and eed you, or thirsty and

give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and

clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did or one o the least o these brothers o mine,

you did or me.

Then he will say to those on his let, Depart rom me, you who are cursed, into the eternal re prepared

or the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave

me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clotheme, I was sick and in prison and you did not look ater me.

They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or

sick or in prison, and did not help you?

He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do or one o the least o these, you did not do

or me.

A Ca l Cassa

f o u r t h s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k f o u r

fast fact

Higher food prices hurt thepoorest of the poor, especiallythe landless poor and female-headed households in both

urban and rural areas.Source: The State of Food Insecurity, 200


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my Journey to CompASSionSara Pearsaul Vice, reelance writer

My church in Chicago has been teaching me how to live compassionately or most o my adult lie. When

I started attending in the early 1980s, LaSalle Street Church stood at the dividing line between the extreme

wealth o the Gold Coast and the utter poverty o the Cabrini-Green public housing projects. Since then,

gentrication has pushed away many o the poorer residents, but my church keeps reaching out to the

least o these, which is all o us, reallyrich or poor or somewhere in the middle.

My church has taught me that the best place to live compassionately is right where you are. Over the

years, the church has developed ministries to meet the needs o the people who come to its doors: a legalaid clinic, a tutoring program, meal programs or seniors and homeless people, an alternative high school,

and more. Most recently, through World Vision, the church has stretched ar beyond Chicago to support

a community in Tanzania.

As church members, we are invited to participate in any o our ministries, and my heart or compassion

has grown through all o them. When you hear the stories o people who struggle against all odds, your

heart is touched to do what you can. Ive always appreciated that my church gives me ways to care tangibly,

through acts o service, as well as nancial contributions.

I must coness that its airly easy to extend compassion rom a distance or or a short period o time.

Whats really hard is living compassionately, year ater year, when your emotions are rubbed raw rom

the suering. That was my experience in caring or my dying mother. Thats where I learned to live

compassionately, not just practice acts o kindness to strangers.

I wish I could say that my aith carried me through on clouds o joy. But when my mothers health problems

grew worse over eight years, I thought that I might all apart rom the strain mysel. As a single woman

at the time, with other amily members living ar away, the burden o care ell entirely to me. I loved my

mother and knew that her care was a sacred trust, but it was nevertheless dicult. Not only did I have the

pain o watching my mother go through a series o health crises, but I also experienced my career crashing,

along with my personal lie, because I was spending so much time and emotional energy on my mother.

Im not sure how I made it through, but I do know that I was borne up by many riends who cared or

my mother and me. One riend took out the trash at my mothers home when I couldnt be there. Another

prayed with me and oered steady encouragement. My small group threw a birthday party or me. My

pastor visited my mother and prayed at her bedside. A young woman rom a home-health agency stayed

with my mother 24/7 through her nal months providing outstanding care.

The Good Samaritan may have gone it alone in some respects, but even he had to enlist the help o the

innkeeper. In my imperect eorts to care or those around me, I have come to understand that we can only

live compassionately when we have a tremendous amount o help. Its the Body o Christthe church

that is able to live compassionately. Each o us is just one small but vital part.



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reFleCtinG on CompASSion

Compassion is not quantitative. Certainly it is true that behind every human being who cries out or help

there may be a million or more equally entitled to attention. But this is the poorest o all reasons or not

helping the person whose cries you hear. Where, then, does one begin or stop? How to choose? How to

determine which one o a million sounds surrounding you is more deserving than the rest? Do not concern

yoursel in such speculations. You will never know; you will never need to know. Reach out and take hold

o the one who happens to be nearest. I you are never able to help or save another, at least you will have

saved one. To help put meaning into a single lie may not produce universal regeneration, but it happens to

represent the basic orm o energy in a society. It also is the test o individual responsibility.

Norman Cousins, Human Options: An Autobiographical Notebook

Compassion is the sometimes atal capacity or eeling what it is like to live inside somebody elses skin. It

is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy or me until there is peace and joy nally

or you too.

Frederick Buechner, Wishul Thinking


How oten do you think about those around you as i they were Christ himsel? How would this

change the way you treat people?

What strikes you about Matthew 25:31-45? How does this passage challenge your view o what

Christianity is all about?

What did you learn rom Sara Pearsaul Vices story? How did she show compassion where she

lived? Can you think o ways in which you can show compassion to those who are near you?

Do you eel overwhelmed when thinking about all o the worlds problems and have no idea

where to start? Why or why not?

Does Norman Cousins statement challenge you to get beyond simply eeling overwhelmed and

look to the needs o those in ront o you?



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Have you ever thought o compassion the way Frederick Buechner describes it? How would this

view change the way you live?

Recall a time when someone oered you true compassion. How did that experience aect you?

livinG CompASSionAtely

As you encounterdierent people this week, remember Matthew 25:3145 and ask God to help you

see the spirit o Christ in those you come across. Keep a listing or journal on how this changes your

interactions. Are you more patient, attentive, kind, and encouraging to others?

Look or ways to reach out to the lonely, lost, and hurting in this world. Remember that whatever you do

to the least o these, you do to Christ. Show compassion to the people immediately around you.

This week, as you continue to sacrice and put your saved money toward the global ood crisis, remember

Christs words: When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat.

SCripture For F urther Study

These Scriptures relate to living compassionately. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide

to meditate and dig deeper into a certain passage throughout the week.

Luke 6:2736

John 15:917

John 11:144

Luke 15:110

Job 31:1323

Luke 10:2537



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w e e k 5 p a g e 1

JeSuS on CreAtivity(Mark 6:3044)

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because

so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,

Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized

them and ran on oot rom all the towns and got there ahead o them. When Jesus landed and saw a

large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began

teaching them many things.

By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came

to him. This is a remote place, they said, and its

already very late. Send the people away so they can go

to the surrounding countryside and villages and buythemselves something to eat.

But he answered, You give them something to eat.

They said to him, That would take eight months o a

mans wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?

How many loaves do you have? he asked. Go and see.

When they ound out, they said, Fiveand two sh.

Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in

groups o hundreds and ties. Taking the ve loaves and the two sh and looking up to heaven, he gavethanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set beore the people. He also divided

the two sh among them all. They all ate and were satised, and the disciples picked up twelve basketuls

o broken pieces o bread and sh. The number o the men who had eaten was ve thousand.

A Ca l Ca

f i f t h s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k f i v e

fast fact

Around one sixth of all

humanity are hungry andundernourished worldwide.

Source: The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 200


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A Journey to CreAtivityScott Erickson, Seattle artist

Beore we get to the eedingo the 5,000, lets back up a bit and see where Jesus and the disciples are

coming rom. Jesus sends the disciples out to go and preach that men should repent, heal, and cast out evil

spirits. They come back and tell him all the amazing things that happened along the way. Jesus decides

to take them away to a secluded place to be together. But because o Jesus popularity at the time, a

large crowd sees where he is going and gets there beore they do, ruining the retreat. Jesus has such great

compassion on the crowd, though, that he decides to skip the retreat and teach the people until late in the

evening. In the evening, the disciples, in all their good intentions, come to Jesus with a well-thought-out,

seemingly righteous, suggestion to send the people on their way so they can go get some ood, becausehey, people need to eat! But this is Jesus we are talking about, and he can usually turn our well-intentioned

plans its head head. And he does. ... by telling the disciples to eed the people.

But how, Jesus? Are we supposed to spend thousands o dollars on ood to eed everyone? We dont have

that?.

Jesus replied, Well, what do you have? Go look.

One o the main obstacles that I had to overcome in my own lie in dealing with justice issues is that I

thought I needed to be someone else to be involved in the work that needs to be done. I thought I needed

to be a doctor, a lawyer, a senator, or a millionaire to be able to do anything to help . . . and I wasnt any

o those things. I remember praying in my apartment, saying, God, I care about Arica, but Im just a

painter in Seattle. I I can help, will you show me what to do? I had come to some wise and well-thought-

out conclusion that the only way to be involved in justice issues was to be something other than I already

was. And when I elt the call rom God to do something, I came to him, saying, Im not whats needed, so

I cant be used. But he said, I want you to be involved. I replied, I dont have any o those things that

are needed. And he said, Well, what do you have? Go look.

I am an artist, and being creative is something that I do on a daily basis. As Ive looked to see what I do

have, I realized I am a storyteller. Im able to tell the stories o those who dont have voices through my art.

But I think living creatively isnt reserved just or artists. The denition o creative is having imagination

or original ideas. That isnt just or the artist, but or the accountant, the mom, the teacher, the fight

attendant, the student, everyone. And I guarantee you, as we ollow Jesus and come to him with our wise

excuses . . . his response to us will be Well, what do you have? Go and look. Youre invited to help.

reFleCtinG on CreAtivity

I one were to ask an unbiased observer to name that institution in our society which clearly espouses

creativity, we can be sure that he would not name our 20th-century church. This is an indictment o how

we Christians eel about the mandate God has given us or being creative ... We do not embrace creativity

as a way o lie . . . We do not see it as having much to do with Biblical living.

Calvin M. Johansson in Creativity: The Reormed View


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How then can he [man] be said to resemble God? . . . When we turn back to see what he says about the

original upon which the image o God was modeled, we nd only the single assertion, God created. The

characteristic common to God and man is apparently that: the desire to make things.

Dorothy Sayers, The Mind o the Maker


Have you ever read the story o the loaves and shes as a story o creativity? Did you get more

out o it when you read Scotts story and his view o this passage? Why or why not?

Can you relate to Scott Ericksons eelings o not having the right skills to make a dierence in

the world? Why or why not?

What have you been told you need in order to be eective?

How can you use the gits you already have to serve God?

Do you agree with Calvin Johanssons statement about the Church not being a place or creativity?

Why or why not? Do you think this should change?

How is creativity the characteristic common to God and humans? Do you agree with Sayers

assertion? Why or why not?



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w e e k 5 p ag e 4

livinG CreAtively

This week, create a piece o art (individually or as a group). You can paint, sculpt, draw, or create any other

orm o art. In your artwork, express where you are in your relationship with God.

In addition, take some time to make a list o the gits, talents, and skills that you have been blessed with.

You may wish to ask your riends and amily about the gits they see in you. Refect on these gits and come

up with some creative ways that you can use these talents to raise money or the global ood crisis.


These Scriptures relate to living creatively. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide to


Exodus 35:3036:2

Genesis 1:2628

Isaiah 43:1521

Numbers 16:30

Isaiah 41:1720

Psalm 33:3

Ephesians 2:10

Romans 12:12



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w e e k 6 p a g e 1

JeSuS on livinG Fully(John 10:718)

Thereore Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, I am the gate or the sheep. All who ever came

beore me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever

enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and nd pasture. The thie comes

only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have lie, and have it to the ull.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays

down his lie or the sheep. The hired hand is not

the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees

the wol coming, he abandons the sheep and runs

away. Then the wol attacks the fock and scatters

it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand

and cares nothing or the sheep.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my

sheep know mejust as the Father knows me and

I know the Fatherand I lay down my lie or the sheep. I have other sheep that are not o this sheep pen.

I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one fock and one shepherd.

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my lie only to take it up again. No one takes it rom me,

but I lay it down o my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This

command I received rom my Father.

A Journey to new liFeChristopher Yuan, proessor at Moody Bible Institute

What many wouldconsider their worst nightmare had become a reality or me. In 1992 while attending

dental school, I began living a promiscuous liestyle and experimenting with illicit drugs. To support my

habit, I began selling drugs. Within a ew years, I was expelled rom dental school and later moved to

Atlanta where I became a supplier to other dealers in more than 11 states. But little did I know that my

mother, who had just began a relationship with the Lord, was praying and asting or me. God answered my

mothers prayer one day as 12 ederal drug enorcement agents and Atlanta police made a little house visit.

I was imprisoned or drug dealing. I had started with a bright uture but ound mysel among common

criminals . . . trash. I didnt think things could get any worse. But I was wrong.

A Ca live!

s i x t h s u n d a y o f l e n t t o s a t u r d ayw e e k s i x

fast fact

More than 176 million childrenunder the age of 5 worldwideare underweight.

Source: UNICEF State of the Worlds Children Report, 200


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w e e k 5 p ag e 2

s i x t h s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k s i x

A ew days beore Christmas in 1998, I was called to the jails nurses oce. Handcued and bound, I sat

in a cold clinic oce and was inormed that I was HIV-positive.

The days aterward were dark and lonely. But one night as I was lying in my bunk, I noticed in the metal

bed above me something scribbled. It read, I youre bored, read Jeremiah 29:11. Not knowing what

that meant, I got up and ound a Bible and read, For I know the plans that I have or you, declares the

Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a uture.

I had no idea what Gods plans were or my lie, but God gave me enough aith, enough strength to get

through that one day, and then the next, and then the next. As I was immersing mysel in the Bible, Godbegan to convict me and set me ree rom my dependencies with drugs. God called me to ull-time ministry

while in prison, and I ound a joy and peace as I realized that each day was a blessing rom God.

I was released rom prison in 2001 and began studying at Moody Bible Institute and graduated in 2005.

Then, in 2007, I received a master o arts in biblical exegesis rom Wheaton College graduate school. Now

I teach at Moody in the Bible department while continuing my speaking ministry, which has reached our

continents around the world.

In John 10:10, Jesus says, I have come that they may have lie, and have it to the ull. Jesus not only

wants us to have a ull lie but he wants us to live ully. Most o us are prone to procrastination and live by

the mantra, Never do today what you can put o until tomorrow. However, as ollowers o Jesus Christ,

we must live as i we had no tomorrow.

It took getting HIV or me to realize that I must live with a sense o urgency. Actually, I am no dierent

than any o you. Nobody is promised tomorrow. But God has given us today. So let us not waste a minute

and let us realize our call to live ully.

reFleCtinG on livinG Fully

I discovered thati you really keep your eye peeled to it and your ears open, i you really pay attention

to it, even such a limited and limiting lie as the one I was living on Rupert Mountain opened up onto

extraordinary vistas. Taking your children to school and kissing your wie goodbye. Eating lunch with a

riend. Trying to do a decent days work. Hearing the rain patter against the window. There is no event

so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving room to recognize

him or not to recognize him, but all the more ascinatingly because o that, all the more compellingly and

hautingly. . . . I I were called upon to state in a ew words the essence o everything I was trying to say both

as a novelist and as a preacher, it would be something like this: Listen to your lie. See it or the athomless

mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain o it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste,

smell your way to the holy and hidden heart o it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments

and lie itsel is grace.

Frederick Buechner, Now and Then


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w e e k 6 p a g e 3

The abundance to which Jesus pointed was explicitly not the abundance o possessions. It was the

abundance o the restored relationship, the God-relationship. It was the reedom to enjoy the community

the giving-and-receiving relationship with one another or which we were created.

William Gibson in Beyond Survival: Bread and Justice in Christian Perspective


What do you think lie to the ull looks like?

What does our culture say is the abundant lie? What does Christ say is the abundant lie? By

which denition o lie do you live?

What did you learn rom Christopher Yuans story? What did it take or him to realize how

precious lie is? Do you live in the reality that each day is a git and we are not promised

tomorrow?

What do you think about Frederick Buechners summon to listen to your lie? What would

change i you began to pay more attention to Gods presence?

What does Buechner mean when he says, Lie itsel is grace?

Do you agree with William Gibson that lie abundantly is ound in relationship and not in

possessions? How do you live in this reality?

How can your lie better align with the lie Christ intended or you?

How has your journey throughout the past weeks o Lent brought you to a greater understanding

o what it means to have lie abundantly in Christ? What have you learned that will change the

way you live?

s i x t h s u n d a y o f l e n t t o s a t u r d ayw e e k s i x


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livinG Fully

This week, write your own present-day story. You have been reading the stories o others throughout

the past weeksnow it is your chance. Write about a moment that changed the course o your lie or a

summary o your whole lie journey. Everyone has a story to tell, and each is as signicant as another. We

have each been invited into Gods story, and we have a choice as to how our story will play out. Maybe

your story is ull o brokenness or resentment, but it is not too late to change the ending. Do you need to

mend some broken relationships or let go o resentment that has held you captive or years? Jesus has come

that we may have lie abundantly; this is not a lie ree o heartbreak and pain, but it is a lie in which we

are ree to love without conditions and look beyond our own needs to the needs o others.

We have spent the past six weeks refecting on and celebrating the lie and sacrice o Christ. Throughout

this time you have been encouraged to give up so that you may be ree to give. At the end o this week, take

the money you have saved/collected/raised and donate it towards the global ood crisis. At the end o this

study is a sheet titled Help Care or Hungry Children. This page will explain how and where to send

money or the global ood crisis. Thank you or helping to save lives!


These Scriptures relate to living lie to the ull. Read a ew each day or all at once. Or you may decide to


Isaiah 61:111

Philippians 1:2022

John 8:3138

Colossians 2:623

Galatians 5:1325

Romans 6:1523

2 Corinthians 3:1218

s i x t h s u n d a y o f l e n t to s a t u r d a yw e e k s i x


32/34

He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. psa 146:7

We invite you to partner with us in providing lie-saving ood and hope or children aected by

the global ood crisis. Every day, more than 13,000 children die because o hunger.

The unds you give will go toward the ollowing:

Emergency ood relie

Seeds and livestock

Agricultural training

Training in how to choose and prepare nutritious oods

Your git will provide emergency ood aid and help amilies become ood-secure or the uture.

whAt to do:Take the money saved during Lent and donate it individually or collect it and donate as a group. Complete the bottom

portion o this page and return to World Vision. This will ensure your donation is processed and the unds are distributed

correctly. Please make checks payable to World Vision.

Another option is to donate online. Go to www.worldvision.org/lentand click the icon titled Give to the Global

Food Crisis.

Please continue to pray or those whose lives have been aected by the ood crisis.

Thank you or helping to save lives! To learn more about the global ood crisis, visit www.worldvision.org.

Send your GiFt to:34834 Weyerhaeuser Way S.

P.O. Box 9716

Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

www.worldvision.org

h Ca hg C

EnclosEd is a gift of $ _____________________________________________________

church namE ______________________________________________________________

addrEss _____________________________________________________________________

city ________________________________________ statE ______ Zip ________________

Source Code: 12931370

for: Ethiopia KEnya

uganda WhErE most nEEdEd

phonE _______________________________________

E-mail ________________________________________

sEnior pastor _______________________________

ys, asssac c a asafc css.


33/34

About world viSion

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, amilies, and

their communities worldwide to reach their ull potential by tackling the causes o poverty and injustice.

Motivated by our aith in Jesus Christ, World Vision serves alongside the poor and oppressed as a

demonstration o Gods unconditional love or all people.

We envision a world where each child experiences ullness o lie as described in John 10:10. We know

this can be achieved only by addressing the problems o poverty and injustice in a holistic way. World

Vision is unique in bringing nearly 60 years o experience in three key areas to help children and amilies

thrive: emergency relie, long-term development, and advocacy. We bring our skills across many areas oexpertise to each community where we work, enabling us to support childrens physical, social, emotional,

and spiritual well-being. Partnering with World Vision provides tangible ways to honor God and put aith

into action. By working, we can make a lasting dierence in the lives o children and amilies who are

struggling to overcome poverty. To nd out more about how you can help, visit www.worldvision.org.

For inormation on ways your church can be engaged in issues o global poverty, HIV and AIDS, and

advocacy, contact:

World Vision Church Engagement

P.O. Box 9716


[email protected]

1-888-303-2003

www.worldvision.org/churches

About world viSion reSourCeS

Ending global poverty and injustice begins with education: understanding the magnitude and causes o

poverty, its impact on human dignity, and our connection to those in need around the world.

World Vision Resources in the publishing ministry o World Vision. World Vision Resources educates

Christians about global poverty, inspires them to respond, and equips them with innovation resources to

make a dierence in the world.

For more inormation about our resources, contact:

World Vision Resources

Mail Stop 321

P.O. Box 9716


1-888-511-6548

[email protected]

www.worldvisionresources.com



34/34

World Vision Resources

Mail Stop 321

P.O. Box 9716


Fax: 253-815-3340

[email protected]

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A Call to Live: A Lenten Study Guide

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