Gospel Lesson Plans
Lent invites us to step off our mental treadmills, take a breath, and look around. Lent invites us to ask: Where are we demanding solutions? Where can we risk staying in tension? Where are we blind just not noticing? What do we thirst for? Where are we bound or stuck? What will we risk doing during these 40 days of Lent to clear a space in which Easter can break through?
Old Testament Lesson Plans
In the early Church the Easter Vigil was the only time that Baptisms were performed. The forty days leading up to Easter was used as a time of reflection, self-examination, and instruction for the catechumens, or new converts, in preparation for the new life they would receive at Baptism. Lent has always been a teaching season. All the lectionary readings during Lent point towards Baptism, either its promises and covenants, or its signs and symbols. Lent is often referred to as a short course in Baptism or a primer of our Christian faith.
| Year A | Date | Scripture | Old Testament Lesson Plan | Gospel Lesson Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Sunday in Lent Intergenerational | Matthew 4:1-11 | n/a | Turning to God and One Another | |
| First Sunday in Lent | Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 Matthew 4:1-11 | Saying Yes to God | Seeking Another Way | |
| Second Sunday in Lent | Genesis 12:1-4a John 3:1-17 | Faith in God | The Choice to Risk Believing | |
| Third Sunday in Lent | Exodus 17:1-7 John 4:5-42 | Trust in God | She said, “Come and See” | |
| Fourth Sunday in Lent | 1 Samuel 16:1-13 John 9:1-41 | God Looks at our Heart | Searching for Sight | |
| Fifth Sunday in Lent | Ezekiel 37:1-14 John 11:1-45 | Prophets Bring Hope | Getting Free from What Keeps us Bound | |
| Sixth Sunday in Lent | Palm Sunday | Isaiah 50:4-9a Matthew 26:14-27:66 | Prophets and Role Models | The Crucifixion |