Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all;
He is my strength from day to day, without him I would fall:
When I am sad, to him I go, no other one can cheer me so;
When I am sad, he makes me glad, he’s my friend.
Jesus Is All the World to Me – vs. 1
This Sunday, I have the honor of kicking off our Lenten Sermon Series. The series is inspired by Dr. Diana Butler Bass’ book Freeing Jesus. In this book, Butler Bass reflects on a question posed by her secular friends: “How can you still be a Christian?” She shares how her understanding of Jesus has evolved over time, seeing Him in different ways during different seasons of life.
Freeing Jesus explores the many images of Jesus that we encounter and embrace throughout our lives, illustrating how personal experiences, scripture, and tradition shape our theology. The book invites us to break free from preconceived notions of Jesus and, in doing so, free ourselves to engage more deeply with the central figure of our faith.
During Lent, we will reflect on this theme through the lens of our church values—curiosity, courage, and connection—as we examine the deeper aspects of our faith.
This Sunday, we’ll examine what it means for our spiritual journeys to call Jesus our friend. We’ll also look at what it means for our lives that Jesus calls us his friends. Many of us may have grown up hearing that Jesus is our friend but never thought about what this really means. Together, we’ll explore and possibly discover something new about ourselves, about Jesus, and about our relationships with him.
I’m grateful to have you as a companion on this Lenten journey.
Pastor Kevin