Come! Ground yourself in the Good News:
"Lent was originally a season for new converts to learn and prepare for their baptism on Easter. During that time, they would study what was central to Christianity. As the authors at Sanctified Art crafted this series, they asked:
What are the core, foundational concepts of Jesus’ life and ministry?
What makes each of these good news?
Can we trust that the good news is truly good, even when it challenges us?"
"If we're being honest, we can easily distort or sanitize Jesus' teachings. Following Jesus leads to a richer, more expansive life, but it’s not necessarily comfortable.
Jesus’ ministry is often described as “radical” which comes from the Latin word “radicalis,” meaning “root” or “ground.”¹ Therefore, the good news should bring us back to our roots, back to what grounds us: loving our neighbor, caring for the vulnerable, pursuing justice and mercy, and resting in God’s unending grace.
The good news is extravagant, untamed, illogical, and persistent. It is joyful—like fine wine saved for celebration. It grows like a mustard seed that flourishes rapidly into a tree to shelter the birds. It smells like expensive perfume poured from an alabaster jar and like crumbling bread passed endlessly through a hungry crowd. It sounds like children laughing and like stones dropped to the ground instead of violently thrown. It feels like feet washed with tender care.
The good news is alive in the world. Hopefully, this series will provide fertile ground for conversation and worship, rooting our hearts and lives in the expansive goodness of God. This Lent, may the teachings of Jesus lead us forward. Let the good news ground us. And let that good news inspire us to take action in a world desperate to hear, see, and taste what is good."
¹https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/radical-word-history © a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
We join with Trinity Episcopal for the traditional
celebration before the beginning of Lent.
There'll be all-you-can-eat pancakes and sides.
Serving is continuous starting at 6P.
Known as Shrove* Tuesday in England and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in French-speaking regions, it's the last big hurrah and chance for feasting before 40 days of Lent, a season of prayer, penance and fasting in preparation for the Easter season.
After Pope St. Gregory, around A.D. 600, prohibited Christians from eating all forms of meat and animal products during Lent, Christians made pancakes to use up their supply of eggs, milk, and butter in preparation for Lent.
When the tradition spread throughout Europe, people in France followed the trend but, instead of pancakes, they made waffles, crepes and a dessert known as king cake.
*Shrove comes from the word ‘shrive’, meaning to give absolution after hearing confession. Shrove Tuesday is the day when people go to confession to prepare themselves for Lent, which begins on the following day, Ash Wednesday.
Ash Wednesday
February 18, 7P
Focal scripture:
Luke 14:15-24
Parable of the wedding banquet
We begin Ash Wednesday with an open invitation. Instead of inviting people to focus internally on fasting and self-deprivation during Lent, this parable invites us into a communal feast.
The host of the party sends a servant to search the entire city to bring people in: “Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled.”(CEB)
Though the net is cast wide, too many guests deny the invitation, instead focusing on their individual concerns.
Yet, the host’s invitation is persistent. They search high and low for the dispossessed and the vulnerable, perhaps those who are hungry to accept the invitation.
As guests are gathered in, the miracle is that there is still room. There is more love and abundance available, if only we are present to accept it.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
Wednesdays
6:15P
Feb. 25 – March 25
Join us each Wednesday evening in Lent for our Lenten Supper & Study.
For full information on each week, please click HERE.
2/22, The 1st Sunday in Lent
Focal scriptures:
John 2:1-11
The Wedding at Canna
Matthew 13:31-32
Parable of the Mustard Seed
John’s Gospel doesn’t begin with a temptation story but instead opens Jesus’ ministry with a wedding miracle. It may feel a bit lavish to start the season of Lent with a wedding banquet, but the good news begins with joy.
This week we focus on the subversive and playful nature of the good news. The kin-dom of heaven is so good it should catch us by surprise!
Like a mustard seed, the good news can grow from the smallest seed into the tallest tree. Like an unruly weed, or fine wine saved for last, the good news is abundant and cannot be contained.
As we sink into Jesus’ teachings throughout the season, we may not always be comfortable, but we can trust that these teachings are good, rooted in love, and worthy of celebration.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
3/1, The 2nd Sunday in Lent
Focal scriptures:
Luke 7:36-50
The Woman Anoints Jesus
Matthew 25:35-40
Sheep & Goats Parable
Simon and some Pharisees host a dinner for Jesus and an unexpected guest arrives: a woman from the city who kneels at Jesus’ feet and washes him with expensive perfume.
Simon scoffs at this party foul, but Jesus reorients his focus, asking him to truly see the woman and recognize that she has shown “great love,” offering the tender hospitality he was not granted when he entered Simon’s home.
The woman with the alabaster jar shows a shocking, extravagant love that exemplifies the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. Will the other guests see that loving God goes hand in hand with loving neighbor?
We’ve paired this story with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. When we care for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned—each of whom are created in the image of God—we are showing love for God, too.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
3/8, The 3rd Sunday in Lent
Focal scriptures:
Mark 6:32-44
Miracle of the Fish & Loaves
Ephesians 3:20-21
Glory to God for His work in us.
As Jesus and his disciples head to a deserted place, perhaps seeking peace and quiet, many from the surrounding towns follow them. Instead of turning them away, Jesus expresses compassion and begins an impromptu teaching session.
As the day goes on, the disciples have logistics in mind and urge Jesus to send the people back into the villages so they can feed themselves. Instead, Jesus presents them with an impossible task: “You give them something to eat.”
Dumbfounded, the disciples can only fathom the limitations and financial constraints of Jesus’ suggestion. Yet when they “go and see,” their meager provisions multiply so that thousands are fed.
This week we focus on building networks of collective care in order to meet people’s needs. Jesus models a way to be in community by coming together and sharing what we have, dispelling perceived impossibilities. The good news empowers us to believe in the miracles that can become possible through the power of community.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
3/15, The 4th Sunday in Lent
Focal scriptures:
Matthew 19:13-15
Jesus blesses the children.
Deuteronomy 24:17-22
Show mercy & justice.
In many modern contexts, it may seem sweet that Jesus welcomed little children; however, in Jesus’ setting, spending time with children would have seemed wasteful or useless.
When Jesus blesses a crowd of children (after the disciples rebuke them and try to send them away), he once again reorients socially-constructed hierarchies to center the vulnerable.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasized the last, the least, and the lost, building upon the mandates of the Hebrew scriptures to care for the immigrant, widow, and orphan among you.
Deuteronomy repeatedly reminds the Israelites, “you were once slaves in Egypt.” Their memory of oppression should impel them to provide for anyone under-resourced or cut off from the protection of a household.
Similarly, Jesus uplifting children is a reminder that we were all once children and we have all been vulnerable at some point in our lives, relying on the protection and care of others.
If we’re truly living out the good news, then anyone vulnerable will not only be protected from harm, but cared for so they have the chance to thrive.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
3/22, The 5th Sunday in Lent
Focal scriptures:
John 8:2-11
Casting Stones
Matthew 23:23
"Woe to you..."
As we move toward Holy Week, we acknowledge the ways Jesus’ ministry was increasingly at odds with the religious leaders who prioritized loyalty to legality and perceived Jesus’ teachings as a threat.
While Jesus is teaching in the Temple, some scribes and Pharisees interrupt Jesus to put both him—and a woman caught in adultery—on trial. Their questioning intensifies as they cite Mosaic Law and put the woman’s fate in Jesus’ hands.
Instead of focusing on punishment, Jesus flips the script and invites each person to consider their own sin; Jesus defuses the spectacle by condemning no one.
Much of Jesus’ teachings were grounded in his understanding of the Torah; however, many of his actions called for reinterpreting the law.
As we wrestle with our own rules, we should ask, “What is the most just, merciful, and faithful interpretation?”
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
Holy Week
Palm Sunday
March 29, 10:30A
Focal scripture:
Mark 11:1-11
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Roman triumph usually occurred during the week of Passover as a show of Rome’s might. The governor would have been surrounded by the wealthiest and most powerful citizens.
In contrast, Jesus’ march is for the people—all the people: the hungry, the poor, the afraid. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd responds to Jesus’ authenticity and humility. Perhaps they can see past the pageantry of the Roman parade; in contrast, the goodness of Jesus’ leadership shines through, mobilizing the crowds to take action by throwing cloaks in the street and waving palm branches in the air. The energy is infectious, a climactic moment in the grassroots movement of Jesus’ ministry.
This week’s subtheme intentionally places us in the crowd, inviting us to shout “Hosanna!,” to throw our coats down, and to wave branches. What will the good news inspire us to do? How will the gospel move us? As we head into Holy Week, how will we put Jesus’ teachings into practice?
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
Maundy Thursday
April 2, 7P
Focal scripture:
John 13:1-35
Jesus washes the disciples’ feet
Knowing he is nearing the end, Jesus surrounds himself with his closest friends. Though he is very aware of who will betray him, he doesn’t exclude Judas or Peter from the table.
In modern times, we might have canceled Judas, but Jesus chooses to care for him instead, offering him bread and cup and loving care. Jesus doesn’t define Judas by his worst act.
If we put ourselves in Judas’ shoes, it really is good news that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We are not judged by our worst actions, which means we are called to extend grace to others too.
The good news is that God’s radical, unstoppable love extends to all people—even to those who wrong us, even to us on our worst days.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
Good Friday
April 3, 7P
Focal scriptures:
Luke 22:47-53
Judas’ betrayal
Luke 23:33-38, 44-46
Jesus heals the servant of the high priest’s ear after his disciples draw swords; Jesus forgives those crucifying him
Where is the good news on Good Friday? Where do we see glimpses of goodness within an awful, brutal story?
Jesus kisses the one who betrays him. He exclaims, “No more!” in the fury of drawn swords, offering healing instead. He uses his final breaths to plead for forgiveness for those who have crucified him. Jesus is stripped of all decency and humanity, yet his actions reveal the good news of a peaceful God.
Meanwhile, the actions of others around him— the betrayals, the mocking, the derision, the mob mentality, and the violence— reveal who we are at our worst.
The Passion narrative tears down any facade. Everything is revealed in this moment, for better and for worse. The good news is Jesus’ ministry is not defeated by death—it is only interrupted. More will be revealed on the third day.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
Easter Sunday
April 5, 10:30A
Focal scripture:
Matthew 28:1-10
“Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Death cannot stop the good news. It is alive, unbound, and wild in the world.
Like the mustard seed, it grows without limit. Like water turned into wine, it surprises us with joy. Like loaves of bread, it multiplies to feed each hungry soul. And now, even in the face of death, it will not be buried or silenced.
Just as the angels in Advent, the angel at the empty tomb delivers good news: “Do not be afraid.”
On the way to Galilee, Jesus greets the women with this same message, but adds: “Go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
As we celebrate the good news of Easter, let us also go out seeking Christ in the faces of neighbors and strangers, and in the good works that are alive in this world.
© a sanctified art | sanctifiedart.org
All are encouraged to bring flowers to adorn
our "Flower Cross" during the service.
Learn how to FOLD A PLAM CROSS
9-10A
Fellowship Hall
Before our Easter worship service, please join us in the Fellowship Hall for fellowship and a light breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, fruit, and that "Lut'rn" staple: coffee. There'll be OJ, tea, and milk as well.
At 9:30A there's an Easter Egg Hunt for the children.
20 Ideas for Holy Week, March 29 – April 5
Often Christians feel like they should "do something" more during Holy Week beyond attending services.
Ben Meyer, in his blog "Baptized into Christ", offers some ideas to consider during Holy Week.
See his list: 20 Ideas for Holy Week.