A Sharing and Prayer Calendar for Lent 2024

One Great Hour of Sharing invites us to join together in expressing our gratitude for what we have and generosity towards others in need. May these daily prompts guide you in joyful giving this Lent. Download the sharing calendar here.

Ash Wednesday 14th: Read Isaiah 58:6–8, 12. What are we asked to do? Who helps meet those same needs for you (v. 12)? Say a prayer of gratitude for them.

Thursday 15th: Our Gracie Fish coin boxes will hold many gifts of money this season, but what other kinds of gifts can we give? What gifts can share?

Friday 16th: Sunday is PDA’s Blue T-Shirt Sunday. What does PDA do to show God’s love? Choose something blue to wear or share with your congregation.

Sunday 18th: God, open our eyes to your face in every person. Let us see the ways we are all connected with all of Creation. May we as your Church, together, seek love, justice and peace with all. Amen. 

Monday 19th: Over 23 million Americans live in a food desert, far from a store where they can buy fresh food. Give a gift for each grocery store nearby.

Tuesday 20th: Electricity is usually the first utility that is lost in a storm. Give a gift for each light switch in your home.

----

Wednesday 21st: What did you use water for today? Using the OGHS map, find projects related to water and give a gift for each faucet in your house.

Thursday 22nd: Using the online OGHS map, look where Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is working. Read about one project near you and one far away and make a gift for each as you offer a prayer.

Friday 23rd: Health is one of our most important needs. Say a prayer for each person your family knows who has been or is now sick and for quality medical care for everyone.

Sunday 25th: Gather us all around your banquet table, O God, with all who hunger and thirst. May we join together to share the abundance you’ve intended for all. Amen.

Monday 26th: Climate change is forcing farmers worldwide to either adjust their farming methods or move away. Give a gift for each type of animal you saw today. 

Tuesday 27th: Thousands of frontline workers risk their lives daily during a health crisis. Say a prayer for the doctors, nurses and other medical staff who care for the sick.

--------

Wednesday 28th: Without the right nutrition in the first two years of life, a child’s physical and mental development is compromised. Give a gift for each baby/toddler you know.

Thursday, 29th: When roads are closed and electricity is off, going to see a doctor can be hard. Give a gift for each person in your family who has been able to see a doctor in the past year.

Friday, March 1st: It is estimated that 1 in 5 kids in the U.S. will experience hunger this year. Pray that no child will ever go to sleep at night hungry.

Sunday, March 3rd: Encourage us, Creator, when things get difficult. May we draw creativity and hope from your Spirit, and from our partners along the way. Amen. 

Tuesday, March 5th: Changing weather patterns mean old ways of farming don’t work in some areas anymore, so farmers need to be taught new techniques. Give one gift for every farm you’ve visited.

--------

Wednesday, 6th: If you could start a business of your own, what would it be? Give a gift for every good business idea you hear from those you are with.

Thursday, 7th: Rainwater is rare in some places, so special collection systems are built to catch the water so it can be used for growing plants. Give one gift for every day it rained (or snowed) in the past week.

Friday, 8th: Sunday is SDOP Sunday! Visit pcusa.org/sdop and identify a community partnership SDOP has cultivated. Give a generous gift in honor of that partnership.

Sunday, 10th: Lord, help us to learn from what others have seen, so that we might grow in understanding across lines of difference. Amen.

Monday 11th: Hunger-related causes kill tens of thousands every day around the world. Give a gift for meals you’ve had today. 

Tuesday 12th: Poverty can make people feel like their wheels are spinning because of surprise expenses, problems or illness. Give a gift for every wheel around your home that helps your family get places.

Wednesday 13th: Teaching healthy food choices and food safety can change the health of an entire community! Choose some heathy foods in your kitchen to donate to a food pantry or soup kitchen.

Thursday 14th: The most vulnerable are often the most impacted in emergency situations. Say a prayer for children impacted by disasters and give a gift for every flashlight in your home.

Friday 15th: Communication can be incredibly difficult after a disaster, especially if the internet isn’t working! Give a gift for every phone your family has.

Sunday 17th: Guide us through the paths that feel lonely, assured that you are always with us. Be with us in the darkness as we walk by faith and not by sight. Amen. 

Monday 18th: Social support and connection are important parts of being healthy. Gift a gift of gratitude for every home that offers welcome to you.

Tuesday 19th: Immunizations give us hope for a day when certain diseases will no longer cause sickness and pain. Give a gift for each immunization you have received.

--------

Wednesday 20th: God’s love is shown in so many ways. Find three things you can do today or tomorrow to share God’s love.

Thursday 21st: Find three books you can donate so another person has the chance to read and learn. Give a gift for every year you have been in school.

Friday 22nd: Learning new languages can help form relationships. Learn about the Indigenous peoples who inhabited the land where you are now and the name they gave that place or region.

Passion/Palm Sunday 24th: God, you call us to grow, go out and serve. Open our eyes, ears and hearts so that we can be “repairers of the breach,” serving our siblings in need. Amen.

Monday 25th: After a natural disaster or a public health crisis, it may be hard to find places to buy basic supplies. Say a prayer of thanksgiving and give a gift for each time you had toilet paper to use today. 

Tuesday 26th: Most people around the world don’t have access to the many varieties of fruit and vegetables we have. Give one gift for each type of vegetable in your house.

Wednesday 27th: Where does your water come from? Many people carry buckets of water long distances to their homes every day. Give a gift for every faucet in your home.

Maundy Thursday 28th: Blankets are used internationally to comfort those impacted by disasters. Give a gift for each blanket on your bed or find some blankets you can donate.

Good Friday 29th: Women and children are disproportionately impacted by poverty and hunger. Give a gift for every female in your class or workplace.

Easter Sunday (One Great Hour of Sharing) March 31st: Present the gifts in your coin box to your congregation. Say a prayer for all those who will receive help from your generosity.