March 6, 2025
The season of Lent is now upon us. We enter now into the wilderness of wandering as we prepare our hearts and souls to follow Jesus to the cross. In his book on the season of Lent, New Testament scholar Esau McCaulley says this:
“Lent is about turning away from our sins and toward the living God. A season dedicated to repentance and renewal should not lead us to despair; it should cause us to praise God for his grace. Central to Lent is the idea that we need this kind of renewal consistently throughout our lives. We do not receive God’s grace only when we turn to him at the beginning of our spiritual journey. God’s grace meets us again and again.”
Recognizing that God’s grace meets us again and again, this Lent we are going to spend time exploring the kingdom of God. Specifically, we will be looking at the stories that Jesus told that give us a glimpse into God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. We will be exploring some of the parables Jesus told from the Gospel of Luke.
I will be away at a class for this upcoming Sunday, March 9. But our preacher for this First Sunday of Lent will be Rev. Juan Garcia, who currently serves as the Moderator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I know you all will give him a warm welcome as he shares God’s Word with us to begin this Lenten season.
- First Sunday of Lent, March 9: A Kingdom Story of Welcomeness (Luke 15:11-24)
- Second Sunday of Lent, March 16: A Kingdom Story of Neighborliness (Luke 10:25-37)
- Third Sunday of Lent, March 23: A Kingdom Story of Foolishness (Luke 12:13-21)
- Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 30: A Kingdom Story of Humility (Luke 18:9-14)
- Fifth Sunday of Lent, April 6: A Kingdom Story of Power (Luke 19:11-27)
- Palm Sunday, April 13: Gina Brock preaching
- Maundy Thursday, April 17: Communion
- Easter Sunday: A Kingdom Story of Resurrection (Luke 8:4-15)
