Jesus was placed in a tomb that happened to be in a garden. When Mary shows up and finds the tomb empty, she mistakes the risen Jesus for the gardener. She was not so far off. Jesus' resurrection invites us to turn away from the grave and turn back toward the garden that was lost at the beginning.

Jesus’ final week of his life on earth was marked by a triumphal entry into Jerusalem, met with praises and shouts of salvation. Yet, Jesus’ humble entry was doing more for humanity than those in the crowd could ever imagine. Jesus’ entry reveals him as the true prophet, priest, and king that we need — and that we were meant to be. These three roles Jesus fills help show us what it is to be fully human once again, in Jesus’ power.

In a crazy, and somewhat spooky vision, God shows Ezekiel that He is still at work in spite of Israel’s failures. He will be restoring Israel to what they were meant to be. And yet, this vision has a double meaning — one that is more applicable for us today. God is not only reviving Israel, but He is in fact restoring life to our dry bones. As we continue through Lent we see the promise of resurrection given long ago.

The people of God wanted a king. Not the King they had -- the one who rescued them out of slavery from Egypt, the one who brought them safely through the sea and the wilderness, the one who time and time again protected them from their enemies and brought them into a good land he promised to them. No, they wanted a human king to be like all the other nations. The person they saw fit to be king was much different than what God saw they needed, and eventually, God would show them how to look for the true king. What is it we're looking for?

As we continue our journey through Lent, we find the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness without water. God provides miraculously, but as we look closer we see God is at work in so many more ways than we can even fathom. Most importantly, God is present with them in the wilderness. This is still true for us in the wilderness places of our lives -- God is at work and He is with us.

God did not give up on His plan and purpose for humans to be His representatives on earth. He called Abram, gave him a new name, identity, and purpose, and blessed him. This blessing continues through for God's people who are in Jesus today.

We begin our Lent journey toward joy at the beginning.

The first humans were placed in a garden called ‘Delight’ and it lived up to its’ name. Yet, they were deceived into seeing and desiring something else. That desire set in and gave birth to sin (rebellion), which ultimately resulted in death. How can we fix our eyes on the delight we have in Jesus and ultimately find life?

The heartbeat of Paul's letter to Titus and the Christians in Crete is found here inn this final chapter. We have been saved by Jesus' work, not by works or righteousness of our own. Now, how do we live in the work of God and partner with Him?

What does it look like to live as followers of Jesus in a culture that is so counter to that? Titus 2 has a couple things that may be difficult to swallow in our culture, but when we understand the culture it was written to and the heart behind living as a display people of God, we may gain a better understanding of how we live counter-culturally today.

In the midst of a corrupt culture, how do we live faithfully as people of good news to the world around us?