“The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1)

Since we are unable to rescue ourselves, God became a human being, in the form of Jesus of Nazareth, and lived a sinless life. Jesus was sentenced to death, and as He hung nailed to the cross, all our sin and its consequences were placed on Him, and He died. But death could not hold Him, and three days later, He rose from the dead. After this, He ascended into heaven, with the promise that one day He will return and right all wrongs. All who decide that Jesus is who He said He was—the one who rescued us from being separated from God—are made right with God forever, being welcomed immediately and unconditionally as God’s children. This is the essence of the Gospel – the GOOD NEWS.

This Good News seems especially important given today’s social climate. As was true two thousand years ago, people are looking for hope wherever they can find it. God created us to find our hope in Him, to give ourselves over to and lose ourselves in Him. Unfortunately, because of sin, we are experts at replacing God with other things. Perpetually caught up in a battle for our hearts and minds, we are weary and lost, and we find it entirely all too easy to give in to our lesser nature—sometimes without realizing we have done so. But God, through Jesus, has sought us out, found us, and calls us to Himself

During Lent, we are seeking to hear that call, and respond to God in thought, word, and deed. To that end, we are focusing on six themes related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our response to His Good News:

• Week 1: The Gospel and Repentance ~MARCH 10
• Week 2: The Gospel and Authority ~MARCH 17
• Week 3: The Gospel and Money ~MARCH 24
• Week 4: The Gospel and the Nations ~MARCH 31
• Week 5: The Gospel and Suffering ~APRIL 7
• Week 6: The Gospel and Worship ~APRIL 14