A Bible reading Marathon is planned for 72 hrs from Thurs Feb 12th to Sat Feb 14th in front of New Parliament House, with people reading in 15 minute blocks, day and night.

It’s all part of the lead up to lent next Wednesday, a time when many people seek God in a more deliberate way. The Bible Marathon is part of a series of events aimed to point the nation to God.

In a similar vein, every year for the past three years, hundreds of Christians have gathered the Sunday before Easter in the Great Hall in Parliament House, Canberra for the National Day of Prayer and Fasting. The same is planned this Sunday (Feb 15).

Pastor Matt Prater of New Hope Brisbane is the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer and Fasting and says this is a special time in the Christian calendar.

“This year the theme is destiny and we’re praying and fasting for 40 days, trying to get the whole body of Christ in sync,” says Matt. “We’re praying and asking God: what do you want from us this year? You pray for Australia and all the big issues during this time, but also, more importantly, you pray for yourself, for your own heart to be right at the start of the year.”

Highlights of Sunday’s meeting include the head of the Salvation Army, Commissioner James Condon leading an hour of repentance in light of the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse, plus an hour run exclusively by Chinese churches.

It’s understood the day’s proceedings will be live streamed into China, as well as broadcast on the TVN satellite network.

A number of other groups are also encouraging Christians to take part in a time of reflection, prayer, fasting and fundraising for lent.

One such group is Common Grace, a recently launched collective of Christians who are interested in issues of justice.

They’ve teamed up with Bible Society Australia to encourage people to pray the Lord’s Prayer for 40 days.

Jarod McKenna, National Director of Common Grace says it might be a new idea to some, but it’s certainly not new in Christian history.

“Praying the Lord’s Prayer daily has been an ancient Christian practise, to stop and actually think here’s what God’s on about and how do our lives actually fit in with what God’s up to?”

People who sign up to the campaign will be sent emails with daily reflections on a particular verse of the prayer, including questions and brief reflections from prominent Bible teachers across various denominations including Catholic, Baptist, Hillsong, Anglican Church of Christ, something Jarrod describes as an “incredible act of unity”.

Each week one of these Bible teachers will unpack a single verse of the prayer, offering daily meditations on a different aspect of it.

“To be praying this prayer is actually to be entering into the the pattern of the cross and the power of the resurrection as we learn to get caught up in the life of God. So learning this prayer that the Son teaches, through the Spirit, to the Father, we don’t actually think 40 days is long enough,” says Jarrod.

You can sign up at www.lordsprayer.com

In a similar vein is Lent Event, a Uniting Church campaign. Via an app or email, Lent Event sends you daily prayers and reflections on your smart phone or tablet, as well as view info about the development projects run by Uniting World.

They’re also encouraging people to give up some luxuries, to set aside the money saved and donate it to the world’s poor. You can find out more at http://www.lentevent.com/