A dramatic, scriptural retelling of The Passion of the Christ. “Tenebrae” is an old word with Latin roots which means “shadows.” It is given this name to reflect the darkness of Jesus’ final hours and his crucifixion.Re-living the final hours of Jesus’ life is important. It helps bring into focus the miraculous victory the Father, the Son, and the Spirit enacted through overcoming the cruel cross and defeating the powers of sin and death once and for all.It’s also important to realize that the victory enacted in these events are part of Jesus’s life and ministry. In other words, Jesus’ death on the cross is not disconnected from His life.

Sermon Scripture: John 12:1-8

God chose to dwell among us for a purpose; to bring life where once there was death, to bring healing where there was once brokenness, to bring hope where there was once only despair, to bring light into the darkness.

This week Jesus reminds us that God is not a distant deity, unmoved by suffering or sorrow, but a suffering servant who walks with us into the ache of the world—and changes everything.

Sermon Scripture: John 12:1-8

This week we hear the dramatic story of Mary of Bethany and the anointing of Jesus, and the story of the humble widow with her simple offering of two copper coins. Two women extravagantly worshiping God in two very different ways.

As we step into the final days of Lent and enter into the drama of the Passion of Christ in Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter, may we do so with the extravagance shown by these two saints.

Sermon Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Paul had a divine encounter on the Damascus Road (Acts 9) and nothing was ever the same. It caused him to see himself and others in an entirely different way. He writes, “From now on we regard no one from a human point of view” (2 Cor. 5:16).  

Lent is not merely a season of fasting—it is a season of being made new. It is not just about being forgiven—it is about being made new. It is true that forgiveness wipes the slate clean, but what about newness? Newness rewrites the story. Newness re-orients our hearts, re-shapes our desires, and re-trains our eyes to see the world as God sees it. May we be made new!

Sermon Scripture: Isaiah 55:1-9

The story of humanity and God tells us that two kingdoms exist in our world; the kingdom of God identified by life, goodness, beauty and love, and the kingdom of the world marked by death, confusion, darkness, and oppression.

God is reminding us that the kingdom of the world tempts us with empty wells—things that seem satisfying but ultimately leave us dry—while Christ offers us a kingdom of living streams that quench the thirst of our souls.

Sermon Scripture: Psalm 27

Life is full of challenges. We are constantly bombarded on all sides. It’s hard to blame ourselves from living in fear and feeling that we have little trust to give — even to God. Afterall, even the faithful know bitter disappointment and crushing pain. 

Faith is not the absence of doubt or struggle. It is learning to wait, to trust, to cry out, and to keep believing—even when the answers don’t come easily.

Psalm 27 is a gift for us today. It is a prayer that we can carry with us in honest petition to God in the midst of our messy, awesome, turbulent, smooth, heartbreaking, and joyful lives.

Sermon Scripture: Romans 10:8-13

This is the paradox of the kingdom of God: true strength is found in humility. The world tells us that to confess our failures is weakness, that to lower ourselves before another, makes us small. But in Christ, confession is not a loss—it is a gift. 

Throughout this season of Lent we will be considering how pouring ourselves out to God in worship and confession empties us of false strengths and weak approximations of God’s true grace and mercy.

We will also be exploring the immeasurable ways in which God has poured himself out for us. Confessing this truth of God’s character is the critical second act of our confession of faith.

We have gathered together tonight to observe Ash Wednesday. This day marks the beginning of a season in the Christian calendar known as Lent. The purpose of Lent is to help prepare our hearts for the celebration of resurrection and new life at Easter. It is also a season in which we acknowledge our own mortality–our tendency to wander in the darkness even though we have life and hope in our resurrected Lord, Jesus Christ.

Together in these moments together we will worship and reflect and be blessed by our loving God.

Sermon Scripture: Exodus 34:29-35, Luke 9:28-36, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

In the Transfiguration, God has revealed to us, through Jesus, what he is really like. 

“God is like Jesus. God has always been like Jesus. There has never been a time when God was not like Jesus.

We have not always known what God is like—but now we do. (Brian Zhand, Word of Life Church)

As Jesus proclaims to us what God is like, he works through our lives, in the Holy Spirit, to then proclaim what God is like to those that we come in touch with. This is the proclamation we make as God transfigures us.

Sermon Scripture: Luke 6:27-36

Whether you are a student in school, a young adult navigating friendships and dating, a working professional, a parent of kids, or a wise elder, we are constantly faced with people who get in our way, who block our goals, are mess up our flow, our way of doing things, or perhaps who actively oppose us, threaten us, or harm us. As cliche as it sounds, we are constantly presented with the challenge of loving our enemies.

Across time and cultures, the Golden Rule remains a universal moral guide, promoting a more compassionate and just society—but it is not easy. It remains one of the most challenging aspects of our daily lives.