Welcome to 40 Ways in 40 Days with Essendon Baptist Community Church as we seek to follow Jesus through reading Matthew’s Gospel together during the Season of Lent 2026.
In the tradition of the Church, the 40 days of Lent mirrors Jesus’ own journey of 40 days in the wilderness, testing his own identity and call to baptism and ministry.
For those who were new in their experience of Jesus, this process was often a learning preparation for the initiation rite of water baptism on the morning of Easter Sunday, where people would symbolically be ‘born again’, rising from the waters of death with the risen Christ.
As part of our ongoing formation at Essendon we seek to immerse ourselves in a collective ‘whole gospel’ reading each year.
You are invited to join our 40 Ways WhatsApp Community and share a 'Way’ or ‘Pray’ of the Day about how the daily readings connect with you. You may want to share a personal story, a photo, a link, some art or a poem that reflects your own personal joy or struggle in response.
WEEK 2:
TEACHING KINGDOM CHARACTER - THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Weekly Read: Matthew 4:12-7:29
Weekly Plotline/ Synopsis:
After John’s arrest Jesus calls fisher-folk, and ascends a mountain (like Moses before him), to deliver his defining manifesto - an extreme and engaging alternative spiritual-ethical agenda for personal and social transformation, where love is the law and the law is love. Jesus teaches that in his ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ movement, success will be judged through a frame of spiritual poverty, meekness and mourning that grows a hunger for justice and mercy, where peacemaking and endured persecution become the practical ‘salt and light’ to transform the violence within and around them.
Daily Read:
5. Mon.Feb 23. Matthew 4:12–17 ‘Kingdom Light Breaks In’
6. Tues Feb 24. Matthew 4:18–22 ‘The Call to Follow’
7. Wed. Feb 25 Matthew 4:23–25 ‘Healing & Wholness’
8. Thurs. Feb 26. Matthew 5:1–16 ‘The Upside Down Crown’
9. Fri. Feb 27. Matthew 5:17–6:18 ‘Kingdom Righeousness’
10. Sat. Feb 28. Matthew 6:19–7:29 ‘Solid Rock Kingdom ’
SUNDAY MARCH 1: EBCC Sermon Series: Matthew 5:1-12 ... ‘Who's Blessed?’
40 Ways In 40 Days Reading Plan
You can download the reading plan for the whole period here
Location
134 - 138 Buckley St
Essendon
VIC 3040
Australia