Coming up in Worship: Lent 2023 at CUC

The journey through scripture we’ll take across the season of Lent this year offers us many stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking:  Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the veil of night, Jesus approaches a Samaritan woman at a well, Jesus heals a man born without sight. In these stories, each person is seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. What unfolds is an exchange filled with questions and exploration. Often, an unveiling occurs—assumptions are disrupted, a new perspective is revealed, mystery grows.

And so, we’ll dig in with some deep questions. Many of our weekly questions feel restorative (“Can these bones live?”). Some feel like a charge or challenge (“Who will you listen to?”). Some questions are hopeful and curious (“How do we begin again?”). Our questions won't necessarily lead to answers, but they can help us find clarity and a new perspective. Ultimately, we pray they lead to a new beginning, a restoration, a wider grace.

Like the characters in our Lenten scriptures, we are also seeking many things: clarity, connection, wonder, justice, balance. We are seeking our calling, the sacred, and how to live as a disciple. Throughout the turbulence of the past few years, many of us are asking big questions about our lives and our faith. If you are returning to church, you are probably returning with more questions and a critical lens. We hope this series will help us unpack some of those big questions in ways that are honest and faithful. Throughout this season, we hope you will continually ask yourself: what am I seeking? What is God seeking?

Wed., February 22 @ 7:00 pm:  Ash Wednesday

Reflection from Rev. Matt:  “Seeking: Is this the fast I choose?”
Scripture:  Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11

Is this the fast that I choose? As we begin our series, we must examine if our actions match what we profess. As we practice seeking this Lent, what kind of fast will you choose? How will you live your faith? How will you live the questions of your faith?

February 26:  The 1st Sunday in Lent

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: Who will you listen to?”
Scripture:  Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11

Seeking the fruit of the garden, Adam and Eve allow the snake’s manipulative voice to become louder than God’s voice. In the wilderness, Jesus defies the deception of the tempter by listening intuitively—to God, to his inner moral compass, to the teachings of his faith. And so, who will you listen to? What sources do you seek for news, information, and media? Whose voices—and what messages—take up too much space in your head? Within the onslaught of messaging we receive, we are invited to choose carefully.

March 5:  The 2nd Sunday in Lent – Holy Communion

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: How do we begin again?”
Scripture:  Genesis 12:1-4a and John 3:1-17

Nicodemus comes to Jesus under the veil of night to ask him big faith questions. Jesus invites him to begin again, to learn a new way of knowing and living out his faith. In Genesis, God commands Abram and Sarai to leave everything—their home, their family, their land—to seek the land of Canaan and begin again. Like Nicodemus, what are the questions we ask in the dark? Like Abram and Sarai, how do we follow God’s calling to begin again?

March 12:  The 3rd Sunday in Lent

Rev. Gabrielle Suedfeld, guest worship leader:  “Seeking: Will you give me a drink?”
Scripture:  Exodus 17:1-7 and John 4:5-42

In the heat of midday, Jesus seeks out a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well. His command to her is also a question and an invitation into a new way of life: “Will you give me a drink?” This question creates a dialogue between them in which Jesus sees the woman fully; she leaves the well transformed. In the wilderness, the Israelites essentially ask: “Will you give us a drink, God? Will you take care of us, even now?” This week, we might imagine ourselves at the well or in the wilderness. Are we willing to care for our neighbors, seeking to not just quench thirst, but to find living waters that sustain us all?

March 19:  The 4th Sunday in Lent

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: Who sinned?”
Scripture:  John 9:1-41

When Jesus and the disciples encounter a blind man along the way, the disciples immediately ask, “Teacher, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). They ask a really bad question, filled with assumptions and harmful theology. Unfortunately, the crowd continues to interrogate the man and dissect the miracle of his healing. This week, let us pay attention to the questions we ask. What assumptions do we carry? What is our intent? When seeking clarity or understanding, what are better questions we can ask?

March 26:  The 5th Sunday in Lent

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: Can these bones live?”
Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14 and John 11:1-45

In Ezekiel’s vision, God asks the prophet, “Can these bones live?” Do we believe new life can come after death? Can we find hope when things are bleak? Can we really trust in God’s resurrection? While we look to God to carry us through the valley, God looks to us to embody hope for others. As we prepare to enter Holy Week, we remember how Jesus began his final journey toward resurrection: by returning to Judea after the death of his dear friend, Lazarus. As we walk through the valley of dry bones that leads us to Calvary Hill, let us seek out the hope that will stir in us and sustain us.

April 2:  Palm Sunday

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: Where are you headed?
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11

Imagine you are in Jerusalem when Jesus enters on a donkey. Within the chaos and commotion of that scene, where are you and which way will you go? Will you follow Jesus all the way to the cross? Jesus’ willing surrender to his arrest should always catch us off-guard. As dismayed as the disciples, we ask, “Jesus, are you really headed this way, straight to your death?” Many of our weekly questions throughout the season so far have helped us prepare spiritually for Holy Week. Now we examine if our beliefs have changed our behaviors. Has your path changed? In the midst of opposing forces, which way will you go?

Thurs., April 6 @ 7:00 pm:  Maundy Thursday

“Seeking: Will you wash my feet?”
Scripture:  John 13:1-17, 31b-35

In his final night with his friends and followers, Jesus shows the fullness of his love by removing his robe, kneeling, and washing the disciples’ feet. As he makes his way around the room, Jesus comes to Simon Peter who protests, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Like Peter, we may also question if God loves us and will care for us, even at the brink of death. In these final hours of accompanying Jesus to his grave, can we seek a posture of trust? Can we allow ourselves to be embraced and loved—by our neighbor and by God?

Fri., April 7 @ 12:00 noon:  Good Friday

“Seeking: Why have you forsaken me?”
Scripture:  Matthew 27:27-50

Of all the questions in our series, this one remains the most unanswerable. Jesus’ final lament gives voice to all those who have been forsaken—those who suffer injustice, those who are abandoned, those who are unjustly convicted. Instead of trying to answer this question with logic or theology, we are invited to live it, to sit with it. Sitting with this unsettling question unearths and unveils many more questions: What do we do in the face of unimaginable suffering? Can we sit in the silence of death and trust that God is there? Will we be in solidarity with those who suffer and grieve?

Sun., April 9 @ 10:30 am:  Easter Day

Rev. Matt preaching:  “Seeking: Who are you looking for?”
Scripture:  John 20:1-18

Jesus, mysteriously appearing to Mary as the gardener, asks her: “Why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” In the haze of grief, Mary can only see what is right before her—or in this case, what is not before her. It is only when Jesus calls her by name that the veil is lifted and she beholds the resurrected Christ. On this Easter morning, who—or what—are you looking for? Why have you come to the tomb? What kind of Jesus are you looking for? What veils need to be lifted so we can recognize God’s resurrection wherever it occurs?

Children's Church

Our weekly "Children's Church" faith formation programming for children and youth, offered during the middle portion of our worship service and led by our Children and Youth Leader, Robyn Garland, will focus on the same stories and themes as the worship services, using creative and exploratory storytelling inspired by Godly Play, along with a variety of interactive activities.

Seasonal Devotionals

A devotional booklet with scripture, commentary, poetry, visual art, hymns, and written reflections that coordinate with each week's themes and scriptures will be available at the church.  So will daily devotional cards, meant to enable and inspire a daily rhythm of prayer throughout the season.  (Sorry, for copyright and licensing reasons, we cannot post these resources on this website; we can, however, direct you privately to digital versions if you contact the church office at office@cloverdaleunitedchurch.ca.)

Credits:  "Seeking: Honest Questions for Deeper Faith" theme materials courtesey of A Sanctified Art LLC, http://www.sanctifiedart.org/ ; used by permission.