Week 1: Letting Go for Renewal

Connect: Sometimes it’s easy to go through the motions—attending church, saying prayers, or even fasting—without really engaging our hearts. Maybe you’re wondering what it means to truly connect with God or how faith can be more than rituals. Lent invites us to shift from surface-level actions to genuine surrender. Imagine what could happen if this season became about aligning your heart with God’s purposes and stepping into something more meaningful.

Engage: Matthew 9:9-15. In this passage, Jesus calls Matthew to follow after him as his student. Matthew lets go of other things and takes hold of the way of Jesus. We see that Jesus comes to heal us inwardly to be people who are whole and free. We take action and movements towards God but it is never about the means or practices, but instead about the end goal of moving deeper into a relationship with God. God desires hearts that are accepting of this divine love and learning to love others.

Apply: Identify one way you can take a step towards God today or show love to someone in your life.