In March, we begin the deep and good, soul-searching season of Lent. This year, we’re letting the Gospel of Luke guide us through Lent and using resources from the Sanctified Art creative team—it’s called
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN: meeting God in the midst of extremes.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5, with opportunities to gather for worship at Noon, 6 pm (experiential stations for children & all ages), and 7:00 pm. We come together and get started in this season, remembering that at baptism we are marked with the cross of Christ forever. For a day, that cross is visible—remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. It’s a truth that we receive not as judgement but as blessing. “Whether we live or whether we die, we belong to God.”
Everyone will be invited to use a printed Lenten devotional (or use the digital version which will be shared by email) that contains scripture reflections, art, poetry, and more. Some of you have already signed up for small groups on these same themes.
In this coming season, we’ll visit some familiar stories—the Good Samaritan, Mary and Martha, the fruitless fig tree, the Lost Sheep, Zacchaeus, and more. So much in life in these days is pulling us in one direction or another, and this Lent, we will explore together how to be present where God is—in the messy middle. The Sanctified Art Creative Team writes:
As we studied these scriptures, we were struck by how Jesus’ ministry disrupted the established social, political, and religious divides of his time. Jesus intentionally pointed out cultural and political extremes 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 divisions many of us experience in our families, churches, and communities today.
Our theme, “Everything In Between,” invites us to navigate the polarities in our lives with more faith, intention, and openness to be transformed. Each week’s 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 this or that. We might find that God is present in between.
We’ll worship together on Sundays through Lent and meet God —
- Between stranger & neighbor
- Between faith & works
- Between rest & growth
- Between lost & found
- Between righteousness & mercy
Midweek Lenten Services and Lenten Meals
On Wednesdays, beginning March 12, there will be an opportunity to gather for a Noon worship & conversation time. Then, you’re invited to share an evening Lenten meal together from 5:30 – 6:30 pm (freewill offering). Three evenings we’ll serve pizza and salad hosted by the CYF team and two other evenings we’ll share a different meal, hosted by the Feed My Starving Children team and then by Sue Bernlohr’s team. Our intention is to gather for a simple meal as a community in the mid-space between music, ILC Kids time, Confirmation, and Evening Worship at 7:15 pm. In these brief Wednesday evening worship times, we’ll listen to the Psalms—heartfelt prayers of the Bible sung straight from the messy middle of life to God’s listening ears.
We are hoping and praying that this will be a deep and good season that will connect to our lives exactly where we are and draw us close to God who meets us in all the in-between spaces.
Looking forward to Lent with you,
Pastor Joy