Lent 2023

This booklet, written exclusively by members of Christ the King, is a collection of 40 short essays on the Images, Things, and Events leading up to the Crucifixion. It is intended to be an aid to devotion during the 40 days of Lent. You are welcome to view the devotions online, download and print your own, or purchase a published copy in person from our Book Nook.

 
 

2023 Plan for Lent

Lent is the primary "penitential season" in the Church Year. This 40 day "sprint" is a microcosm of the entire race of the Christian Life, and we take our primary image of this season from Christ's 40 days in the wilderness. Lent is a time for self-assessment, confession, discipline, spiritual warfare, and discernment. How do we do that? The Scriptures teach us of the three Spiritual Disciplines of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving. But, how do you do that?

Every year, we offer a Lenten Plan to the whole church to help you have a healthy Lent and avoid confusion. This plan is not obligatory, but strongly encouraged. It is meet and right to do things as an entire parish. The plan is not burdensome, and every member is encouraged to make their own personal Lenten plan which incorporates (and exceeds) this parish plan. Your clergy are available to provide Spiritual Direction as you make your Lenten Plan. 


So, here is what we are doing together as a Church. 

 Prayer

Corporate: We are going to have three regional prayer gatherings (we will call them "Lenten Oratories") on Friday mornings during Lent. The three regions will be the geographic areas for the following cell groups.

  • Canton

  • Marietta/Kennesaw/Powder Springs

  • North Atlanta/Vinings/Smyrna


Every Friday in Lent, the Cell Groups in these three regions will send at least two representatives to their regional "Lenten Oratory" to say Morning Prayer on Friday mornings. Lay Readers or Clergy will be in each location to help lead the liturgy. The Oratories will meet in a different location each week, and each weekly location will focus on a different aspect of Adoptive Culture. In addition to Morning Prayer, special prayers will be provided that petition God's mercy and/or action in a way that matches the location for that week. 

  • On the Friday of the 1st week in Lent, March 3, each regional Oratory will meet outside a local adoption or foster care facility. 

    • Canton Oratory: DFACS Office @ 1300 Univeter Rd., Canton, GA 30115 on 3/3 at 8:30am

    • Marietta, Kennesaw, and Powder Springs Oratory: DFACS Office @ 325 South Fairground Street, Marietta, GA 30060 on 3/3 in the morning @ 8:30am

    • N. ATL, Vinings, and Smyrbleton Oratory: Bowen's House @ 7452 Mount Vernon Rd, Lithia Springs GA 30122 on 3/3 in the evening @ 6:30pm

  • On the Friday of the 2nd week in Lent, March 10 each regional Oratory will meet outside a local school.

    • Canton Oratory: King's Academy and Mill Creek Middle School @ 471 Arnold Mill Rd, Woodstock, GA  30188 on 3/10 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • Marietta, Kennesaw, and Powder Springs Oratory: Stonehaven School and Pearson Middle School @ 1480 Joyner Ave, Marietta, GA 30060 on 3/10 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • N. ATL, Vinings, and Smyrbleton Oratory: Whitefield Academy @ 1 Whitefield Dr, Smyrna, GA 30126 on 3/10 in the morning (exact time TBD)

  • On the Friday of the 3rd week in Lent, March 17, each regional Oratory will meet in a city square or center.

    • Canton Oratory: Cannon Park @ 130 E Main St, Canton, GA 30114 on 3/17 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • Marietta, Kennesaw, and Powder Springs Oratory: Thurman Springs Park @ 4485 Pineview Dr, Powder Springs 30127 on 3/17 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • N. ATL, Vinings, and Smyrbleton Oratory: Ponce City Market @ 675 Ponce de Leon Ave NE
      Atlanta, GA  30308 on SATURDAY, 3/18 in the morning (exact time TBD)

  • On the Friday of the 4th week in Lent, March 24, each regional Oratory will meet outside a Pregnancy Resource Center.

    • Canton Oratory: Hope Center @ 295 Molly Ln
      Unit 120, Woodstock, GA 30189 on 3/24 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • Marietta, Kennesaw, and Powder Springs Oratory: First Care Women's Clinic @ 615 Roswell St NE
      Marietta, GA  30060 on 3/24 in the morning (exact time TBD)

    • N. ATL, Vinings, and Smyrbleton Oratory: Atlanta Care Center @ 1801 Peachtree St Unit 225, Atlanta, GA 30309 on 3/24 in the morning (exact time TBD)

Individual: Every adult will be given a free printed copy of our Lenten Devotional, which contains 40 reflections on the Temptation and Passion of Jesus written by over 20 people from Christ the King. We strongly encourage you to use these daily reflections as an aid to Prayer during Lent, much as you used our Advent Devotional a few months ago. These devotionals will be handed out at our Ash Wednesday services (see below).

Fasting

Corporate: Cell Groups will eat Lenten Themed meals for the two Cell Group meetings in March. Soup and bread is a typical Lenten meal. Each cell group will also pick a meal during the week (like Dinner on Fridays, for example) where everyone can fast together while being separate. 

Individual: Everyone should choose something to fast from during the 40 days of Lent. As a general recommendation, you should choose something pertaining to food and/or media. The idea is that you revoke a thing that satiates your body/mind so that God can fill that space with "spiritual consolation". Again, your clergy are available to help you decide the thing that you are going to fast from this Lent. 
 

 Almsgiving

Corporate: Our new leader for "Adoptive Culture" (Jackie Sims) is going to arrange three service projects in the three different regions (see above under Prayer). These service projects will support Pregnancy Resource Centers and happen on the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25th (also called the Conception of Christ). Mark your calendars! The two service projects will be…

  • (Marietta area) Work Day at the First Care Women's Center. We will celebrate the Eucharist at Dorsey Manor at 9am, then the group will head over to FCWC to do a service project.

  • (Canton area) Set up for the "5k Glow Run for Life" in Cartersville from 11AM-2PM to assist Bartow Family Resources. There are other time slots to help, but a group of CTK members will go at 11AM. We are trying to plan a Eucharist service near the race, but still need to find a location.

 

Individual: We are having a diaper drive for local Pregnancy Resource Centers! Please bring size 3, 4, or 5 diapers to the church on Sunday, March 19 (or another Sunday in Lent), and we will deliver the diapers to the PRCs when we do our regional service projects on the Feast of the Annunciation that week! 

 

Jesus in the Wilderness