Bishop Mark has prepared material for The Diocese of Chester for Lent 2027
Exploring the Book of Jonah, and themes of God's call, and faithfulness, we hope that there will be something for everyone as we embark on the Jonah journey together through Lent.
There are daily Bible reading notes for individuals, group study material, and sermon notes for those that might be linking in their Sunday mornings too.
Bishop Mark writes: The book of Jonah is utterly amazing: pulsing with the very heartbeat of God for us today! Early each morning, I have found myself writing just to ponder and pray. And, as I have written, a hope has grown that we might reflect together in the light of His heart-calls to us in our day.
Jonah is an amazing book and your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to pray, laugh, and ponder your way daily through it over the course of Lent. There is material for use in small groups weekly and sermon notes if you use this as a church during Lent, but first we break the text into 20 ‘chunks’, enough for five a week spread over four weeks.
The challenge is to choose a time and place you can take 5-15 minutes a day for 5 days a week, and then arrange to meet with God using this text as a springboard for conversation. If it is easier, we’ll also be making the study material available as a daily podcast or electronically.
The book of Jonah is a timeless gift which spans contexts, covenants, and time. It has called the faithful to holy response down through the ages and is still as sharp in its application as it is in its wit.
It embraces the immensity of God’s faithfulness, and witnesses to his inconceivable generosity and fathomless patience.
