This year's book of Lent devotions is dedicated to the memory Edith Carlson, a beloved member of Immanuel since she, her husband Carl and their children joined Immanuel in 1951. Her long, full, joyful and gentle life of Christian faith, hope and love has not only been an inspiration to many in this congregation but has also come to define for many what love for Jesus and faithfully following Jesus as one's Savior and Lord looks like in a human life. Her peaceful and gentle death just before the season of Lent was to begin leaves her congregation sorrowful for our loss but also joyful in the sure promise of eternal life that this season prepares us to celebrate anew at Easter.

Again this year, the daily readings and prayers that are included in this booklet have been submitted by a variety of members of friends of Immanuel. The readings for the Sundays of Lent are submissions that Edie Carlson had made to this effort in years past. Each Sunday devotion will include the year that Edie first submitted it. Many of us have read these words and songs in Lents past, but all of us will know the blessing of renewed memories of her witness among us.

Our deepest thanks go to Ken and Kathy Cranson for their tireless efforts to solicit, receive, organize and print this collection of daily devotions. Be sure to thank them personally when you see them and thank God for them as you begin your daily readings with prayer. Our Lenten journey begins on Ash Wednesday with its annual cross-shaped, ashen reminder of our common mortality. It may seem that we hardly need such a reminder this year, but we will be told that we are but dust, we come from dust, and to dust we shall return. This year, we will walk through Lent even more eagerly anticipating the end of that story: from the dust, with and in Christ, we shall rise again.

• - Pastor Dan Wilfrid

Dear Lord, thank you for your wondrous love! You love us so much and want us to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. So you sent your Son, Jesus, and dwelt in him so that we might know you.. Help us, Lord, to love you more and more. Thank you for revealing yourself to us through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and help us grow more and more like him. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, for without his help we cannot. Amen (Edie Carlson – 2002)

Daily Index to Lenten Devotions
Click on Date to view devotion - (available if underlined as link)

Note from web editor: These Lenten devotionals were created from scanned text of the printed booklet and in some cases the text fonts did not convert in exact format. We apologize for any difficulty that creates in the reading of any of them.