Six-Week Devotional Reflections for Lent (Year A)

By Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox

Ash Wednesday: Introduction

Lent invites us to return to the waters of baptism, where we are joined to Christ’s death and resurrection
and called into lives shaped by love, justice, and reconciliation. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Principles of
Nonviolence invite us to embody this baptismal calling through courageous love, compassionate
listening, justice-seeking action, faithful solidarity, reconciling grace, and resurrection hope. Each Sunday
during Lent, a brief devotional, Lenten practice for the week, and prayer will be posted to guide your
Lenten baptismal remembrance.

Week 1 of Lent: Nonviolence Is a Way of Life for Courageous People

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4:1–11
Devotional Reflection

Immediately after his baptism, Jesus enters the wilderness, where he confronts temptations rooted in
power, control, and self-protection. Rather than grasping power, he chooses trust in God’s sustaining
presence. Baptism grounds our identity in God’s belovedness, freeing us from fear and inviting us to
renounce forces that distort love and justice. Courageous nonviolence becomes a daily practice of dying
to fear and rising into Christ’s faithful love.

Lenten Practice: Daily Renunciation and Baptismal Remembrance
Each morning, touch water and make the sign of the cross. Name one fear, resentment, or temptation
toward retaliation or control. Offer it to God and pray for courage to respond with Christ-shaped love that day.

Prayer: God of steadfast love, ground us in our baptismal identity so that we may resist fear and choose
courageous, Christ-shaped love in all we face, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.

Week 2 of Lent: Nonviolence Seeks to Win Friendship and Understanding

Gospel Reading: John 3:1–17
Devotional Reflection

Jesus meets Nicodemus with patience and openness, welcoming honest questions and inviting deeper
understanding. Baptism incorporates us into a beloved community where transformation unfolds through relationship, humility, and shared learning. Seeking understanding reflects our baptismal promise to live
among God’s faithful people and nurture reconciliation in our relationships and communities.

Lenten Practice: Holy Curiosity and Listening
Engage one intentional conversation with someone whose experience or perspective differs from your own. Listen with genuine curiosity rather than persuasion or correction. Close your practice by praying for that person’s flourishing.

Prayer: God of wisdom and mercy, open our hearts to listen with humility and to seek understanding
that nurtures a beloved community of reconciliation and peace, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.

Week 3 of Lent: Nonviolence Seeks to Defeat Injustice, or Evil, Not People

Gospel Reading: John 4:5–42
Devotional Reflection

Jesus crosses social, cultural, and religious boundaries to meet the Samaritan woman at the well and offer
living water. Baptism calls us to proclaim Christ by dismantling dividing walls while honoring the dignity
of every person. Faithful nonviolence resists injustice while leaving space for repentance, healing, and
restoration.

Lenten Practice: Crossing Boundaries with Grace
Identify one boundary that often separates you from others—social, political, cultural, or relational. Take
one respectful step across that boundary by learning, engaging, or supporting voices historically excluded from your community. Pray for mutual transformation.

Prayer: God of justice and compassion, strengthen us to resist injustice while honoring the dignity of
every person you have created, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.

Week 4 of Lent: Nonviolence Holds That Unearned, Voluntary Suffering for a Just Cause Can Educate and Transform People and Societies

Gospel Reading: John 9:1–41
Devotional Reflection

In the healing of the man born blind, water becomes a sign of restoration and witness. Baptism forms us
to recognize suffering honestly and to accompany others with compassion. When we walk alongside
those who suffer, we bear witness to God’s healing presence and participate in resurrection hope
unfolding within brokenness.

Lenten Practice: Ministry of Presence
Walk alongside someone experiencing hardship or marginalization. Offer intentional presence through visiting, listening, writing notes, or providing practical care. Hold their story in daily prayer throughout
the week.

Prayer: God of presence and healing, form us into companions who walk faithfully with those who
suffer and bear witness to your restoring hope, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.

Week 5 of Lent: Nonviolence Chooses Love Instead of Hate

Gospel Reading: John 11:1–45
Devotional Reflection

Jesus enters grief with compassion and calls Lazarus into new life. Baptism joins us to Christ’s love that
moves toward pain and brokenness rather than away from it. This love frees us to release resentment, lean into love, and embody reconciliation, trusting that God continually calls people and communities into new life.

Lenten Practice: Praying Love into Difficult Relationships
Identify someone toward whom you hold anger, fear, or resentment. Pray daily for their well-being,
healing, and flourishing. If safe and appropriate, perform one quiet act of kindness or speak a gracious
word connected to that relationship.

Prayer: God of boundless grace, transform our hearts so that we may release resentment and embody
your reconciling love toward all people, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.

Holy Week: Nonviolence Believes That the Universe Is on the Side of Justice

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:1–11; 26–27
Devotional Reflection

Jesus enters Jerusalem in humility and justice-shaped hope, walking the path toward the cross, and
revealing that God’s shalom unfolds through sacrificial love rather than domination. Baptism calls us to
strive for justice and peace while trusting that God’s redemptive work extends beyond our immediate
understanding. Holy Week invites us to remain faithful in hope as we journey with Christ toward
resurrection.

Lenten Practice: Public or Communal Witness of Hope
Participate intentionally in Holy Week worship, prayer vigils, or justice-focused gatherings. Create or
share a testimony, prayer, or artistic expression that names where you see God bringing renewal and
hope. Conclude the week by reaffirming your baptismal calling during Easter worship.
Prayer: God of redemption and new life, sustain us in hope as we follow Christ through suffering
toward resurrection and renewed creation, in the name of +Jesus. Amen.