Lent Resources 2012

Lent begins on February 22.  Many churches and small groups have special Lent studies during this period which leads up to Easter.
Listed here are some of the materials available from re:fresh books & christian resources.  Some of these are intended as weekly studies for individual or small group use (green text) while others offer daily readings, more appropriate to personal use (brown text).

While we provide summaries here, the ideal is to visit the shop to examine and compare different resources ... and enjoy a free cup of Fairtrade tea or coffee while you browse?

The information below can also be downloaded as a PDF.
Click HERE

Weekly studies for Small Groups

The Nail
by Stephen Cottrell

This Lent book offers reflections on the crucifixion. Seven chapters focus on different characters - Peter, Pilot's wife etc. - and describes their experience asking the questions, ‘who killed Christ’ and ‘who was responsible?’   Each chapter includes a Bible passage, a meditative hymn and a short prayer.
The Nail is suitable for individual reflection or group study, and can also be adapted for use as a Good Friday liturgy.  It includes practical suggestions on how it can be used as a Lent study course.
Published by SPCK.  96 pages, paperback.  £6.99.

Magnificent Jesus
Lent Study Guide
by Wendy Virgo

Part of CWR's Cover to Cover study series, this comprises six studies for individual or small group use.  It examines ways in which Jesus fuilfills Old Testament 'Types' and considers how the I AM statements in John's Gospel reveal the mystery and majesty of Jesus.
Each study includes icebreakers, opening and closing prayers, Bible passages printed in full, 'Eye Opener' sections, contextual background notes, discussion starters and final thoughts from the author.
Separate leader's notes are also included.
Published by CWR.  84 pages paperback.  £6.99 

Love Set Free
by Martin L. Smith

A series of six studies on the Passion, from John's Gospel.
Martin Smith seeks to sweep aside popular and sentimental ideas of love.  Through the simple pledging of Mary to the beloved disciple and of him to her, the author of the fourth gospel takes the New Commandment to a new level, squeezing every drop of sentimentality out of our understanding of love.
Published by Canterbury Press.  61 pages.  Paperback.  £6.99 

•

THE YORK COURSE 2012 Handing on the torch Sacred words for a Secular World Many churches, especially in the Anglican Communion, use the York Course as a basis for their Lent studies.  This year's course, looks at the disparity between the remarkable growth of the Christian Church in Asia, Africa and Latin America compared with the way in which it struggles in the West.   The course considers some of the reasons for this and what it might mean for individual Christians, for churches and for Western culture, in a world where alternative beliefs are increasingly on offer. There are five sessions:- •  Session 1 - A Christian Country? •  Session 2 - A Secular Society? •  Session 3 - A Beleaguered Church? •  Session 4 - Competing Creeds? •  Session 5 - Handing on the Torch The course booklet, written Canon John Young includes questions aimed at provoking wide-ranging discussion. Each group needs 1 CD or audiotape, plus a course booklet for each member. In addition many groups find the transcript booklet, which cross-references to the tracks on the CD. The participants on the course CD/audiotape are Archbishop Sentamu, the Archbishop of York; Clifford Longley, author, broadcaster and journalist and Rachel Lampard, who has responsibility for the Methodist Church's engagement with political groups.

Experiencing God's Love
Five images of transformation
by Steven Croft

Church House Publishing's Lent Course 2012 is a companion volume to last year's Experiencing God's Mercy.  It explores five ways in which our lives are changed when walking with Christ.

•  Being securely rooted in prayer and scripture
•  Being cleansed through baptism, confession and forgiveness
•  Being enlightened through worship, mission and growth in holiness
•  Being tended through care for one-another and the world
•  Being welcomed in the Eucharist and the fellowship of the church
                     Published by Church House Publishing.  £5.99

Finding a Voice
A Lent Course on  The King's Speech
by Hilary Brand

Taking the film, The King's Speech, as a starting point, this five-week course explores ways in which fear holds us back and examines how we can face and overcome our fears and begin to find our authentic voice.  Each session includes extracts from the film, group discussion questions, exercises and meditations. There are also short introductory and follow up chapters, with related Bible passages, for individual reading each week. Also included is a suggested follow up session, along with full notes for leaders.
Published by Darton, Longman & Todd.  128 pages, paperback.  £5.99.

Daily readings for Personal Use

 

The Way of the Desert
by Andrew Watson 

This year's BRF Lent book contains daily readings, through Lent to Easter.  Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Aston, takes users on a journey from the parting of the Red Sea to Israel's entry into the promised land. Combining Old Testament scriptures with insights from the Gospels, he shows the continuing relevance of the Exodus story to all who seek to follow Christ.
The Way of the Desert includes a Guide for Lent group discussions with questions for small groups.
Published by BRF.  240 pages, Paperback.  £7.99

Shaped by the Cross
by Ken Gire

 Reflecting on Michelangelo's majestic Pieta, in which Mary gathers the suffering Jesus into her arms, Ken Gire offers seven meditations on a costly discipleship that invites us to take up our cross and follow our Savior through death to life everlasting.
Includes questions for individual reflection and group discussion.
Published by IVP.  160 pages, Paperback.  £9.99. 

On the Way to the Cross
40 Days with the Church Fathers
by Thomas Oden, Joel Elowsky & Cindy Crosby

This unique devotional offers forty days of devotional comments from the church fathers about the Gospel of John. Based on the daily Gospel reading cycle from the Book of Common Prayer and written in a brief daily format.
Published by IVP Books.  112 pages Paperback.  £6.99. 

A Place at the Table
40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor
by Chris Seay

Chris Seay invites readers to a journey of self-examination and discipline, with an emphasis on global poverty.  The book contains reflections, prayers and, for each day, a brief portrait of the life of a young person in some deprived part of the world.  There is a short section at the end with questions for a six-session group study series based on the book.
Published by Baker Books.  229 pages, Paperback.  £8.99.

Lent for Everyone:Mark
by Tom Wright

47 daily readings, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.  Each explores a phrase or verse from the Bible that provides a spiritual signpost for those on 'The Way' of Jesus.
Each of the 47 short readings includes a scripture excerpt, followed by a brief prayer or spiritual exercise. This resource is written for personal study and devotional use during Lent.
Published by Abingdon Press.  112 pages Paperback.  £6.99.

Reflections for Lent 2012
by Angela Tolby, Jane Williams & Martyn Percy

40 Lectionary-based reflections for daily use during Lent and Holy Week.  Each day includes full lectionary details for morning prayer, a reflection on one of the Bible readings and a collect for the day.
Published by Church House.  42 pages, Paperback.  £3.99

Light Breaks forth 2012
The CAFOD Lent book
by Brendan Walsh

The CAFOD Lent Book offers 40 new daily readings, each one encouraging users to draw closer to God and be transformed through prayer, reflectioin and the Bible reading of the day.

Published by Darton Longman & Todd. Paperback £5.99

For Lent resources from previous years click HERE