Encountering Jesus:  Waypoints on the Journey 

Lent is the 40 days of preparation before Easter. This year we will journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. We’ll stop with him several times at various “Waypoints” and see what he’s up to in his life and ministry.

 Waypoints on the journey:

•  February 22    Ash Wednesday service, 7 pm                 Psalm 51
•  February 26    The Temptation of Jesus                          Matthew 4: 1-11         
•  March 5           Nicodemus – born from above                 John 3: 1-17
•  March 12        The Samaritan woman at the well            John 4: 5-42
•  March 19        I am the Bread of Life                              John 6: 25-29
•  March 26        Healing the blind man                              John 9: 1-4
• April 2              Palm Sunday                                            Matthew 21: 1-11
•  April 7             Good Friday service, 10:30 a.m.              John 18:1 – 19:42                                                                                     The Seven Last Words of Christ
•  April 9             Easter                                                       John 20: 1-18       

                                                             He is Risen!

As we encounter Jesus through Lent, here are some ideas to engage the journey, with thanks to Dr. Joanne Olson for sparking these ideas:

• Engage by walking the steps from Jesus’ home town of Nazareth to Jerusalem (140 km or 3.5 km per day in Lent, resting on the Sabbath.)

• Engage by choosing to live a healthier lifestyle: eat an apple rather than a candy bar, a salad rather than French fries; drink 6 glasses of water a day; take a nap; enjoy the sunshine; listen to beautiful music.

• Engage by reading one of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

• Engage by taking 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to breathe deeply.

• Engage by connecting: reach out to a friend, visit an elder, play with a child, take a meal to someone lonely.

• Engage by praying the Psalms: Psalm 139, Psalm 92, Psalm 8 or many others.

• Engage by being generous with time or resources: pay it forward in some way, somewhere.

• Engage with Jesus as we journey to Jerusalem on Sundays: take the Sunday reading with you wherever you go during the week and pull it out (or open it on your phone) for contemplation anytime you are waiting somewhere or each morning, listening for something new each time you read the passage. These readings are “Waypoints” along the journey — stories of Jesus’ life and ministry that point us to the Way.