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Lenten Sermon Series for 2025

Grieving Change and Loss - A Lenten Journey to Resurrection

Lent is a season of reflection, repentance, and preparation, a time when we walk with Christ toward the cross and the hope of resurrection. This year, our Lenten journey acknowledges the reality of grief, recognizing that loss and change are inevitable parts of life. Drawing from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief, we find these experiences reflected in the stories of Scripture.

Grief is not a straightforward process but a deeply human experience that can involve denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages, though not always sequential, are evident in the New Testament as Jesus' disciples, followers, and even Jesus navigate suffering, loss, and transformation. By engaging with these themes in Scripture, we open ourselves to God's presence in the midst of sorrow and the promise that grief is never the end of the story.

Each week, we will explore a different stage of grief, connecting it to a passage from the Gospels and allowing it to guide our Lenten reflections:

 

  • Week 1 (March 9): Denial – Matthew 16:21-23
  • Week 2 (March 16): Anger – Mark 11:15-19
  • Week 3 (March 23): Bargaining – Mark 7:24-30
  • Week 4 (March 30): Depression – Matthew 26:36-46
  • Week 5 (April 6): Acceptance – Luke 22:39-46
  • Week 6 (April 13): Finding Meaning – Philippians 3:7-11

"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering." - Isaiah 53:3-4

Grief is not linear, and these stages help us understand common experiences as we journey through Lent toward Easter morning.

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