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
The journey of Lent carries us deeper into the mystery of God’s promise—and into the cost of trusting it. Abram is given a new name and a future he cannot yet see. God’s covenant reaches past what seems possible, asking for faith before proof, trust before understanding. Maybe there’s no map, but God says: just start walking.
Jesus speaks with the same plainness. He tells his disciples that the road ahead does not run around suffering—it goes straight through it. The kingdom he announces is not built on triumph or applause, but on self-giving love—and on a cross that refuses to be decorative. Peter hates that. Hates it, hates it, hates it. Like us, he wants a Messiah without wounds, a kingdom without cost, a glory without grief.
But Jesus calls his followers—then and now—into a deeper trust: to deny themselves, take up a cross they did not choose, and follow him into a life shaped by both sacrifice and hope. It is a call not only to carry what is heavy, but to let go of what is dead weight—to allow God, the patient gardener, to prune what no longer bears fruit so that what remains may grow strong and true.
To be grounded and growing in faith is to learn that God’s promises are not always comfortable—but they are always faithful. Lent invites us to loosen our grip on self-protection, to release our attachment to control, and to entrust our lives to the One who brings life out of loss, fruit out of pruning, and hope out of surrender.
Service Outline
GATHERING
Call to Worship
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Jesus calls us to take up the cross and follow.
We come trusting God’s promise.
Those who lose their life for Christ’s sake will find it.
We come to worship, to listen, and to follow.
Opening Song
“Light in Lenten Wilderness” Gabhart, 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 22: Oh The Grace” Kimbrough, Kendrick
Prayer of Lament / Confession
[Adapt the lament and confession from Lent 1 – possibly using a different Kyrie]
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news:
The God who brings life out of barren places
and hope out of impossible circumstances
does not abandon us on the road of repentance.
In Jesus Christ, God has come near —
not to condemn, but to redeem;
not to shame, but to restore;
not to discard, but to make new.
Friends, believe this good news:
in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
Response/Gloria
“Oh The Grace” Kimbrough, Kendrick refrain only
[Sing in the key of G to make the transition into the prayer for illumination in Em seamless.]
WORD
Prayer for Illumination
“Draw Your Holy Spirit Near” Rienstra
Scripture Readings
- Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16—God renews the covenant, renames Abram and Sarai, and promises life where none seems possible.
- Psalm 22:23–31—A song of trust and praise rising from suffering into hope.
- Romans 4:13–25—Righteousness comes through faith in God’s promise, not human achievement.
- Mark 8:31–38—Jesus reveals the way of the cross and calls disciples to lose their lives to find them.
Sermon
“Losing Life to Find It”
[See notes from the introduction.]
Song of Response
"Take Up Your Cross" Everest
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 kept your promise from generation to generation,
calling your people into futures they could not yet imagine.
At this table you have met us with mercy,
fed us with grace,
and reminded us that our life is not our own,
but belongs to you.
You have given us bread for the journey
and courage for the road ahead.
You have named us again as your people
and sent us again in the way of Christ.
Send us out now with thankful hearts
and willing lives,
ready to follow where Jesus leads.
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 who called Abraham and Sarah into a wide and wondrous future
give you courage for the road ahead.
May the Christ who walked the way of the cross before you
go with you in love and faithfulness.
May the Spirit who brings life out of barren places
shape you for God’s coming kingdom.
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.
