Large Print Devotional

What Exactly is Lent

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With next Wednesday being Ash Wednesday, I thought it might be a good time to talk about Lent. Some Christians observe Lent every year, while others simply look on with curiosity. But very few of us actually know where the whole idea came from. So, you might ask, “What exactly is Lent?” That is a great question with more than one answer! The observance of Lent began sometime in the fourth century and in general, is a period of time from Ash Wednesday till Easter. The concept of forty days is meant to mirror the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. However, if you counted the days from Ash Wednesday to Easter, you would discover that there are actually forty-seven in all. The number of forty is arrived at by subtracting the Sundays and ending on the Wednesday of Holy week.

But, instead of getting lost in the math, think of Lent as a time to spiritually prepare for Easter. Some of us do this by abstaining from certain foods or activities others by committing to helping those in need. Though there is no requirement in the Bible for observing Lent, there is also nothing forbidding it. After all, it is never a bad idea to set aside time for seeking God’s will and purpose. The Bible calls times like these, “Waiting on the Lord.” This waiting is not about traditions but about hearts. When we wait God’s way, God promises to give us His strength and renewal. However, you choose to prepare for the Easter season, the most important thing is to focus on Jesus. For me personally Easter brings back the excitement of my coming to faith in Jesus on Easter Sunday! So, during Lent, I come to each morning, asking Jesus for a brand-new insight into His word and His will. Walking with Jesus will lead us along the path that He has chosen and following His path will lead us to the destination He has for our lives. My prayer is that together during Lent, we may remember again the miracles of Jesus, the Last Supper, His sacrifice of His life on the Cross, and most of all, meet with our Risen Lord as Mary did, right outside the empty tomb!

If you would like a devotional to help you along your own Lenten journey, you might consider a book which I wrote a few years ago, titled, “The Joy of Easter.” In this Lenten reader you will find meditations for the entire forty-seven-day period from Ash Wednesday till Easter Sunday. Each day includes a verse and short, simple devotional. The Joy of Easter is available both in an e-Book format as well as a large print paperback.

Devotions for Lent

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Here in the middle of winter, it is hard to believe, but we are just a little over a week away from beginning the season, commonly called Lent. Though the word, “Lent” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, it is nonetheless a good opportunity to refocus our thinking and our lives around the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ironically, this year, Lent begins on Valentine’s Day. Now don’t try the excuse, “Honey, I would have bought you chocolates, but I thought you had given them up for Lent!” Though we all have different customs concerning Easter, one thing all of us have in common with believers from the days of Jesus is that it comes unexpectedly. In fact, if we were to examine the scriptures carefully, it might appear that the Romans, who sealed the tomb and set a guard over it were more concerned about the resurrection than the disciples. After all, Mary and the other women did not come to the tomb to witness a miracle, their plan was to bring spices to complete their traditions for burial. Later, when they went back to report the visions of angels and an empty tomb, no one was more shocked and unbelieving than the disciples. Though Jesus had taught them over and over that He was to die, be buried and raised on the third day, not one of them understood or believed it to be possible. But on that “One Unexpected Morning” the story of the lives of every man, woman and child on earth was changed. Jesus died for our sins, and was buried in a rich man’s tomb, just as Isaiah 53 had foretold. He could not be kept in the grave and was raised, just as David prophetically tells us in Psalm 16:10. Yet, no one was waiting to see the miracle at the moment that the angel rolled back the stone. The Roman guards were terrified, and the rulers of the people remained unbelieving even after their reports. Peter and John ran to see what they had not even imagined in their wildest dreams and on resurrection morning Jesus came, unexpectedly for us all, but exactly as He had promised all along! If you are looking for a devotional resource this Easter, “One Unexpected Morning”, is a 40-day Lenten reader in both large and regular print as well as in eBook form. The link below is for the large print version, but you should be easily able to find the others from that page.

A Christmas Treasury

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After finishing, “A Christmas Star” last season, I thought that beyond a bit of editorial brushing up, it would be the last Christmas devotional that I would write. However; around June,  God began stirring my heart to put pen to paper once again, While at first I inwardly groaned, knowing how much work lay ahead, I nevertheless prayerfully began writing and day by day, page by page, A new book began taking shape.

A Christmas Treasury begins with a week of looking at how our Christmas carols have sung to us the stories of the birth of Jesus over the centuries and from around the world. Week two dives into the Gospel of John. We rarely expect to find stories about the birth of Jesus there yet hidden between its lines lie treasures just waiting to be discovered. Week three follows the journeys of the wise men, the shepherds, and Mary and Joseph as well as Jesus; the one who had come the farthest of all! Finally, in week four I walk with you down memory lane, sharing some of our family’s personal Christmas memories. Now of course, as always, you will find a space at the end of this year’s devotional, to use as a journal for recording your own treasured memories, lessons or Bible stories. Taking just a few minutes to write your stories down will give others the chance to laugh, cry and remember the Christ treasures that God has given you. But the beauty of Christmas, is about more than a cultural extravaganza or even lovely memories of time with our families. It is the timeless story of God’s amazing love to the world. Though it is more ancient than time itself and deeper that the farthest regions of the universe, God packaged his gift in swaddling clothes, so even the simplest of hearts could receive it! 

To Simplest Hearts

God has chosen us to Know
His mystery Of long ago
When He was born
Where shepherds bow
And cattle fed
And roosters crowed
To simplest hearts
His glory Show

At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;” Matthew 11:25 ESV

To Simplest Hearts by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved

I am deeply grateful for my wife, Nancy, who has shared over fifty treasured Christmases with me and who has tirelessly helped to edit this book. On Amazon, you will find editions available in both Large and regular print, as well as eBook, for those who prefer to read via a tablet. Here is the link to the Large print and eBook editions.