Dear friends,
Welcome to the season of Lent and to ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving!
These 40 days are a season to reflect and remember, to look forward and ahead. During Lent we journey with the Hebrews in the exodus, through the temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness and to the foot of the cross on Good Friday. We remember our dependence on God and one another and reflect on the many ways we have fallen short of what God calls us to be.
These are not easy times for many of us. We know the challenges our world faces. Yet the season of Lent reminds us that God is not yet through with us or our world. Amid our own dependence on God, we know by faith that God is even now at work, drawing us
toward the resurrection and restoration of the world. ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving invites us to be part of that
work and to bear witness to it with partners, companions, friends and neighbors.
In the sessions that follow, we will continue our journey through the psalms that began with ELCA World Hunger’s Advent study. We
will read the familiar lines of Psalm 23 and encounter the psalmist’s plaintive cries in Psalm 130. We will share the joy of Psalm 32 and
the promise of rest and security in Psalm 121. In these ancient hymns, we will encounter our spiritual ancestors, whose faith sustained them through trials and tribulations, and be inspired for the work that lies ahead of us today.
Join us this season — on your own, in a small group or with your congregation — as we encounter the psalms anew and unite in our
efforts to end hunger. Visit elca.org/40days to download or order a suite of resources to equip you on the journey.
In peace,
Ryan P. Cumming, Ph.D.
Program Director, Hunger Education
