Created in God's Image, Shaped by Jesus

Lent is the 40-day (plus Sundays) season before the celebration of Easter. Lent invites us to lean into our humanity, leaning also on God's grace. We have been created in the image of God, what a wonder! And God's creative act continues as we are daily called and shaped by the life of Jesus.

We are surrounded by a host of pressures that would squeeze and contort us into less-than-human shapes, or demand us to be more and more. Lent is a season to release that pressure to our creative God, and to turn from all that would distort our humanity. 

Spiritual practices like the suggestions below open space in our lives for God to work. Our Creator will re-create us. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection call us and transform us into a new way of being human. We are re-created, even reborn, as the Spirit breathes life into us, a life that bursts forth from deep within like a stream of living water.

Click on the red letters to follow links.

Ashes to Ashes
Enter the Lent season by dropping in between 4:30-6pm on February 22 for Ash Wednesday. Receive ashes on your forehead or hand, and a blessing. Creative prayer stations will be set up in the sanctuary for all ages to engage. Click here for an Ash Wednesday musical playlist.

Shaped in Reflection
A few new devotional resources are available in print or digitally. Pick them up in the HMC foyer or login to the Members section to download them:
Henry Matisse and the Colours of Lent (SALT Project)
An Illustrated Lent for Families (Illustrated Ministry)
At-Home Lent Worship Guide for families (Mennonite Church USA-free download at this link)

Shaped through Prayer
Join a small group of HMCers on Zoom every Wednesday at 2:30 for prayer and reflection. Find other individual online prayer resources at Common Prayer a liturgy for ordinary radicals, d365, Living Lent Daily, or borrow a book from CommonWord.

Shaped by Creativity
Pray in colour with one of these Lenten calendars, adding a prayer on each of the 40 days of Lent (pick these up in the HMC foyer too). Or try these Coloured Pencil Prayers from pastor Joanna Harader.

Shaped for Justice
What desire for peace & justice is moving your heart right now? Are you being called to learn more? To act? Search CommonWord for a curated list of resources on many topics. Check out "With Creation: A Native and Indigenous Lent Devotional" from Justice Unbound. **NEW** Are you concerned about climate change and wish you were doing more to respond? Do you want to be inspired by what Anabaptists like you are doing around the world? Receive daily stories in your inbox from the Global Voices Lent Series: The Climate Pollinator, from the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative.

Shaped by Scripture
Follow the weekly lectionary Scriptures & worship themes in your own way:

Lent 1, February 26: Shaped by Testing
Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7; Psalm 32; Romans 5:12–19; Matthew 4:1–11

Lent 2, March 5: Shaped by New Birth
Genesis 12:1–4a; Psalm 121; Romans 4:1–5, 13–17; John 3:1–17

Lent 3, March 12: Shaped through Thirst
Exodus 17:1–7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1–11; John 4:5–42

Lent 4, March 19: Called to the Light
1 Samuel 16:1–13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8–14; John 9:1–41

Lent 5, March 26: Called to Life
Ezekiel 37:1–14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:6–11; John 11:1–45

Palm/Passion Sunday, April 2: Called to Worship
Isaiah 50:4–9a; Psalm 31:9–16; Philippians 2:5–11; Matthew 21:1–11

Easter, April 9: Fully Alive in Christ
Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Colossians 3:1–4; Acts 10:34–43; Matthew 28:1–10