Lodi United Methodist Church       Lent 2021        Remodeling Our Souls Devotional

This Lenten season,  Rev. Pam will explore the weekly lectionary scripture lessons using the metaphor of remodeling a home to the work of God’s grace in this holy season.

The topics and questions below are just prompts for reflection. Let us help one another grow in grace through prayer, reflection, almsgiving, and repentance - looking in new directions and turning away from that which keeps us from the abundant life God so desires for us.

These are just ideas! Follow the Spirit’s lead as you make this devotional a “tool” of grace!

Week of February 21: The Design   (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
Jesus calls us to build the kingdom of God in our hearts, in our church, and in our world.
        How have we done this?
        What hopes/visions have been realized?
        Who were some folks who helped or inspired you on the kingdom building journey?
        Favorite Bible verses about the Kingdom of God -Why are they special to you?

Week of February 28:   It is Not Easy    (28, March 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
       What are some challenges you have had in your journey? How has God helped you overcome them?
        Is there a Bible story that shows the challenges and struggles of the journey of faith that touches your heart? How were the difficulties overcome with God’s help?

Week of March 7:   It is Messy!    (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,)
        Fixing up our homes or even cleaning out a closet creates a bit of a mess. To fix the mess we often need to reorganize, change our priorities, and weigh our values. The hardest messes can be between two good things:
              I want a tidy garage.               I want to keep items of sentimental value.
         Can you think of times Jesus or others in the Bible faced messy situations where there may have been tension between two values or choices? How did he resolve them? 
For examples, picking grain on the Sabbath, The Garden of Gethsemane, the cleansing of the temple, Jewish and Gentile cultural tension in the Epistles, Joseph and Mary’s sudden pregnancy?
          Can you think of a messy problem you had to address? How did God help you work through the challenge?
          What did you learn as you worked through the mess?

The Week of March 14:    I Need Help!   (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Who has helped you in your journey?
How did you grow when you reached out for help?
Can you think of some helpers in the Bible?
What made them good helpers?
What changes may have happened in the person helped?  (What might the victim in the Good Samaritan say in a thank you note to his rescuer?  Be creative!)

The Week of March 21:    The Courage to Complete the Task     (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
Have you had an experience that required courage or perseverance? How did God help you?
Can you think of a Bible story that showed courage or perseverance? How does it speak to you and all of us?

 

We NEED YOUR HELP to make this happen!  Many of you have had some great experiences – put them into words – we have some great writers in our church family, too!  There is not much time to do this, but sometimes that works to our advantage!!!!   RSVP a date, ASAP!!!!  We can do this!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Thanks!

Dottie