Groundwork: Biblical Foundations for Life

Even as he hung dying on the cross, Jesus showed compassion and mercy when he offered words of salvation to a crucified thief and established a new, spiritual family. Witness the eleventh and twelfth Stations of the Cross, one of the shortest prayers in the Bible, and learn what these stations show about the mercy and belonging that God has for us today.

Arriving at Golgotha, Jesus spoke a harrowing warning to the women he saw weeping for him along the road. At the ninth Station of the Cross, we’ll examine the warning Jesus gave the women he called “Daughters of Jerusalem.” Then comes the tenth Station of the Cross: Jesus’ crucifixion. With awe and trepidation, we’ll witness Jesus, nailed to a cross, bear the full weight of human sin. We’ll reflect on the words he spoke from the cross, discuss what Jesus accomplished there, and what it all means for our lives today. 

In our exploration of the Stations of the Cross during this Lenten season, we’ve reached stations seven and eight. Here, we reflect on Jesus’ movement toward Golgotha as he takes up the cross and steps onto the road where the soldiers draw a stranger from the crowd to help Jesus carry the weight of the cross. Together, let’s consider the symbolism of the wooden cross placed on Jesus’ shoulders and the significance of Simon of Cyrene taking up some of the burden of carrying it. We’ll discuss what it means for us to bear the cross with Jesus in our lives, and how it helps us understand what to expect in a life of discipleship.

The emotional weight of what Jesus suffers gets heavier as we journey through the Stations of the Cross during Lent. At station five, we read about Jesus before the Roman governor, Pilate. We’ll consider who Pilate was in history and why his presence is important. Then, at station six, we somberly remember the mockery, persecution, and suffering Jesus endured at the hands of the Roman soldiers. Together, we’ll reflect on how these stations highlight Jesus’ innocence and the magnitude of his sacrifice, and what they mean for us as his disciples today.

After witnessing Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, we move to the next two Stations of the Cross, the third and fourth. First, we see Jesus before the Sanhedrin, a council of religious leaders who condemned him, and then we join Peter outside in the courtyard where he denies Jesus, not once, not twice, but three times. As we take time during Lent to reflect on the events Jesus endured, we consider how we might put Jesus on trial in our own hearts and the ways we deny Jesus in our own lives. At the same time, we ask ourselves how these scenes speak into our lives today, and we discover comfort for our own fears and failures.

When Jesus' time had finally come, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It is there, during the season of Lent, that we begin following Jesus on his road to the cross, through the first two stations in the traditional Stations of the Cross. Join us as we discuss the long history of this tradition and the Scriptures that teach us about the events in the Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus’ prayer, betrayal by Judas Iscariot, and arrest. Together, we’ll reflect on Jesus’ humanity, what it cost him to embark on this journey on our behalf, and what it teaches us about our faith as we follow Jesus.

There are situations in life when forgiveness seems especially difficult, maybe even impossible. For example, how do I forgive myself? What if someone died before I could offer them forgiveness? Is it possible to forgive someone who is not sorry? Do I have to forgive someone who keeps hurting me? Let’s see how Scripture helps us address the hard questions that arise when life’s circumstances make forgiveness complicated, and discover what happens in our hearts when we bring our struggles with forgiveness to God. 

We live our lives in a sin-filled world: brokenness and grievances will happen. God calls us to forgive those who sin against us, but we understandably have questions about how exactly that plays out in our everyday lives. Let’s explore Scripture to learn what forgiveness is and what it is not. We’ll discover how our ability to forgive others grows out of God’s forgiveness and find help in dealing with the strong emotions that so often surround forgiveness.

Telling someone they need to forgive somebody else is easy. We use the phrase “forgive and forget” in our human efforts to restore relationships, but is that really what forgiveness means? Ultimately, forgiveness begins with God. Together, we’ll let Scripture teach us what forgiveness is, when it’s needed, and what it reveals about God’s character. Along the way, we’ll consider the nuanced meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words commonly translated as "forgiveness." 

The apostle Paul wrote extensively about salvation and the Christian life. He firmly teaches that we are saved by God’s grace through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. He also teaches how believers ought to behave. Join us as we study Paul’s teachings in his letter to early Christians. Together, we’ll see how his message clarifies how we walk in step with the Holy Spirit, growing in Christlikeness, as we keep Christ’s work on the cross at the center of salvation through Grace alone.