Forward Today: The gift of Lent is coming

Art by Jason Sierra

Dear friends in Christ,

We are just about ready to celebrate the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, which happens exactly 40 days after Christmas Day. This is always a sign that Lent is just around the corner.

Have you thought about how you’ll receive the gift of the Lenten season? This season is set aside to encourage us to return to the Lord, to get back on track as a follower of Jesus. While Lent is a time of quiet contemplation and somber reflection, the deeper reality is that repenting is joyful (though sometimes hard) work!

The church encourages us to observe Lent “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word” (BCP 265). If your local church offers opportunities to engage in these practices, I hope you’ll avail yourself of them.

We at Forward Movement offer a range of resources to help you savor the gift of Lent. You might try praying the Daily Office on our prayer site. Or perhaps you’d like to take on the habit of listening to a daily podcast.

This year, we have published a new Lenten devotional book that I’m especially excited about. Recalling the vigorous beginning of Forward Movement in the 1930s, a time when our church needed the bracing challenge of discipleship, our book this year is The Disciple’s Way: Daily Reflections for Lent. We invited a range of excellent writers to challenge us to follow Jesus in stirring language.

Given all that’s happening in the world these days, I am personally looking forward to making my way through Lent with these compelling voices—and to engaging other ancient, time-tested practices of the church.

I’m writing about this now, because we all might need some time to figure out what Lent looks like this year. Whatever you do, I hope you’ll have an inspiring Lent.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Pray and color through Lent with this poster calendar

Prepare for Lent Madness by studying up on the Saintly Scorecard

Get ready for a new quarter of Forward Day by Day 

See all our Lenten devotionals on our website