lent & easter

We invite you to journey through Lent with us and join us for our ​sermon series Everything in Between. This series allows the Gospel of Luke to guide us through Lent. Beginning with Jesus setting his face toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51), the series flows through several familiar stories—the Good Samaritan, Mary and Martha, the fruitless fig tree, the Lost Sheep, Zacchaeus, and more. Many of these stories are well-known in both sacred and secular imagination, carrying cultural relevance and lore. For example, have you ever identified yourself as either a “Mary” or a “Martha?” The “Good Samaritan” title alone could reference a hospital, a charitable organization, a type of law, or a good deed. Perhaps you grew up singing “Zacchaeus was a wee little man” in Sunday School. So many of these scriptures hold significance in pop culture, church history, politics, and everything in between.

 

As modern readers, we sometimes lose the “shock factor” behind Jesus’ words, as his teaching tactics likely felt extreme for those in his context. He described a stigmatized Samaritan as a good neighbor. He emphasized the value of 1 sheep in a herd of 100. He dined with a tax collector who amassed wealth through extortion. While dying on the cross, he told a convicted criminal he would soon find paradise. Jesus intentionally highlighted the cultural and political polarities of his time to emphasize the radical, inclusive, and surprising love of God. When we study these stories in their historical and cultural context, we see how they mirror the cultural and political divides many of us experience in our families, churches, and communities today.

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This series is an invitation to navigate the polarities in our lives with more faith, intention, and openness to be transformed. Each weekly sub-theme explores two supposed binaries, like “faith & works” or “rest & growth,” or “grief & hope.” We often consider these ideas to be opposing. However, as we explore these concepts within the scriptures, we find nuance and complexity. We find that these dichotomies are false. We might begin to see a full spectrum instead of black and white. We might find that God is present in between.

 

And so, this season, we invite you to look beyond black and white binaries and easy answers. We encourage you to notice the dichotomies that define our lives, but also imagine where God might be meeting us beyond the categories we create. This theme may resonate with anyone who is in discernment or trying to find their way through an undefined space. It will speak to anyone who feels as if they are living in a divided world. It is for those who seek a spiritual life that engages with complexity instead of avoiding it. This Lent, we're trusting that God shows up in shades of gray, rainbow hues, and everywhere in between.