Lent, the 40 days and 7 Sundays before Easter, was originally a season for new converts to learn and prepare for their baptism on Easter. During that time, they would study what was central to following Jesus. We will read through the gospel of John together to discover what makes these teachings good news and we’ll ask, “Can we trust that the good news is truly good, even when it challenges us?” Following Jesus leads to a richer, more expansive life, but it’s not necessarily comfortable. The good news should bring us back to our roots, back to what grounds us: loving our neighbor, caring for the weak and discarded, pursuing justice and mercy, and resting in God’s unending grace. The good news is extravagant, untamed, illogical, and persistent. It is joyful—like fine wine saved for celebration. We hear lots of what feels like bad news on a daily basis, but we believe as followers of Jesus that the good news is alive in the world. We hope this series will root our hearts and lives in the expansive goodness of God. This Lent, may the teachings of Jesus lead us forward. Let the good news ground us. And let that good news inspire us to take action in a world desperate to hear, see, and taste what is good.