Grounded and Growing—Lent 1 Grounded in the Baptismal Covenant — Called into the Wilderness

Published January 16, 2026

Updated January 16, 2026

By Ron Rienstra

This is part of the worship series, 
"Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter” 

Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 | 
Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Easter
Leading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for Lent

Also in this series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany 

 

Lent begins not with our resolve, but with God’s resolve—God’s promise, God’s provision. Before Jesus ever recruits disciples, before he preaches a sermon or heals a single soul, he steps down into the waters of baptism and plants himself squarely in our garden, insisting on taking on our estrangement from God.

And then—immediately—the Spirit drives him into the wilderness. That sets the tone for all that follows.

As noted on Ash Wednesday, Lent is not a proving ground for spiritual stamina. It is not a contest of willpower or a crash diet for the soul. It is a season of trust—trust that the God who set a rainbow in the sky, who saves through water, and who names Jesus as beloved Son is the same God who meets us in dry places, thin places, and hungry places.

To be grounded and growing in Lent is to remember who we are before we decide what we will do. We are a baptized people—rooted in mercy, grafted into grace, called to repentance, and sent into a world still parched for good news. That is what it means to be a covenant people. We follow Jesus into the wilderness not to show off our spiritual muscle, but to sink our roots deep into the soil of God’s faithfulness—and to learn again where our life comes from.

The theme of this service builds on the those already articulated in the Ash Wednesday service—following Jesus into the Wilderness—and repeats some of the same liturgical elements, namely the opening song (to which we’ll return at the close of the season), and the Gospel story (though this week we take it from the gospel of Mark.
 

Service Outline

GATHERING 

Call to Worship

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness.
The Spirit calls us to follow.

The time is fulfilled. 
The kingdom of God has come near.
We come to repent, believe, 
and walk with Christ.

Opening Song

“I Want Jesus to Walk With Me” African American, st. 1 trad., st. 2-4 Rienstra
During this song, attend to these four gestures during the appropriate verses:
1. Light the Christ candle
2. Lift and place the Scriptures
3. Drape purple cloth on the cross
4. Pour water into the font

Welcome & Season Framing

[Brief word naming the start of Lent, the wilderness journey, and the Grounded and Growing theme (see introduction).]

Praise/Psalm

“Psalm 25: To You, O Lord, I Lift My Soul” Haugen

Prayer of Lament / Confession

In these difficult times, it may be pastorally helpful to articulate the sorrows and griefs we bear: our own individual and collective sins, the sins in which we are complicit but not culpable, and the brokenness of the world which seems so far beyond our control.

The prayer is punctuated by a Kyrie (musical suggestions below). If you are singing the text in Greek it may be helpful for some congregations to explain/translate the Greek into English and perhaps note its deep roots in the tradition of Christian worship.

Call to Prayer  

We come before God with our sorrow and our sin,
with the burdens we carry
and the burdens we have helped create.
Trusting in God’s steadfast love,
let us pray.

Kyrie

[Spoken or Sung (see suggestions following the service outline.)]

Lord, have mercy. 
Christ have mercy. 
Lord have mercy.

Lament

[Feel free to adapt this prayer to fit the particular needs of your community and the world.]

Gracious God,
the world you love is aching.

We grieve wars that do not end,
violence that multiplies,
the hungry who are not fed,
and the vulnerable who are not protected.

We lament the divisions that wound your church,
the anger that poisons our common life,
and the loneliness so many carry in silence.

We bring you our own weariness,
our fears about the future,
and the griefs we carry in our hearts.

The earth itself groans—
forests burning, waters rising, creatures disappearing—
and we wonder what kind of world we are leaving behind.

Hear the cries of your creation, O God.
Do not turn away from our sorrow.

Kyrie

[Spoken or Sung (see suggestions following the service outline.)]

Lord, have mercy. 
Christ have mercy. 
Lord have mercy.

Confession

We confess that we are not only wounded by this broken world—
we are also shaped by it.

We have trusted our own strength more than your grace.
We have chosen comfort over calling.
We have been silent when we should have spoken,
and cautious when we should have loved boldly.

We confess the sins we know,
the sins we excuse,
and the sins we barely notice.

Silence is kept.

Forgive us, O Lord.
Turn us again toward life.
Teach us to walk in the way of Christ.
May we be rooted in Christ and find nourishment. 
Amen.  

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news:
“The time is fulfilled. 
The kingdom of God has come near.
Turn, and believe in the good news.”
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
In Christ, all things are made new.

Thanks be to God.

Response/Gloria 

“We Are Not Overcome” Wardell, Heiskell, Radcliffe  (v 1 + refrain)
 

WORD

Prayer for Illumination

Gracious God,
plant your Word in our hearts.
Give us ears to hear,
minds to understand,
and lives ready to respond.

Through Christ our Lord.
 Amen.

Scripture Readings

  • Genesis 9:8–17—God’s covenant with all creation

  • Mark 1:9–15—Baptism and wilderness

  • 1 Peter 3:18–22—Saved through water

Sermon

“Grounded in the Baptismal Covenant—Called into the Wilderness”

NOTES
1.  God’s covenant precedes our obedience
2. Baptism before wilderness i.e., grace before repentance
3. Calling before achievement
4. Also see the introduction to the service. 

Song of Response

“Return to God/Volvamos Hoy a Nuestro Dios” Haugen

Prayers of the People

[See “Leading Prayers of the People During Lent”]

 

TABLE

Lord’s Supper

[See “Grounded and Growing—A Communion Liturgy for Lent”]

 

SENDING

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Faithful God,
you have made covenant with all creation,
claimed us in the waters of baptism,
and fed us at your table.

As we begin this Lenten journey,
send us into the wilderness with courage,
into repentance with hope,
and into the world with good news.

Ground us in your grace.
Grow us in your love.
Lead us on your way.
Amen.

Closing song

“Dead in You, Lord, May We Rise” Rienstra

Closing Prayer 

[Attend to the four gestures named in the introduction to this service.]

God of love and mercy,
Bless us on our Lenten journey. 
By your light, call us to faithful following.
By your word, call us to attentive listening.
By your cross, call us to sacrificial obedience.
By your Holy Spirit, call us to repentance, joy, and service. 

Benediction

May the God of covenant keep you.
May the Christ of the wilderness walk with you.
May the Spirit who descended like a dove lead you in the way of life.

Go in peace.
Walk in hope.
Amen.

Bless the Lord.

The Lord’s name be praised.

Go in peace…

A sign of peace may be exchanged.

Suggestions for the "Kyrie"

Additional Music Suggestions