Lent is an important season for the people of God. It is a time to reflect on Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, his loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and our own dependence on God’s grace and mercy. The promise of Easter leads us through our own wilderness in this season of confession, repentance and, for many, fasting.

The connection between faith, worship and justice was central for Martin Luther. His concern for the poor and his sharp rebuke of economic injustice helps us today see the many ways our faith calls us to strive for justice in our world. In this, the 500th year since the Reformation, Luther’s call for economic justice is more pressing than ever.

ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving is a five-session study guide designed for use by your congregation during Lent. In it, you will find sessions based on themes related to economic justice and faith, with ties to both Scripture and our Lutheran heritage. Each study session also includes a short section to help you connect the lessons in the study to the lectionary readings for that week (based on the Revised Common Lectionary). The sessions are intended for a multi-generational audience, from confirmation-age youth to adults. For younger children and families, there is a set of age-appropriate lessons at the end based on themes drawn from the study.

Every congregation is different, so we invite you to adapt this study to fit your needs. If you find there is more in each session than your time permits, feel free to divide each session into smaller pieces.

We pray for blessings as you and your congregation take a closer look at our Lutheran perspective on the economy and as we together affirm our baptismal vocation “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.”