Lenten Sermon Series 2025: Faith Like a Child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me."  Matthew 18:1-5 (NRSV)

During Lent this year, we will be embracing our lives as children of God. As we do so, we will pay close attention to the spirituality of everyone in our congregation, both children and adults. Jesus challenges adults in Matthew to become like little children. As adults, it is sometimes difficult (impossible?) to remember how we were as children, what our natural patterns and impulses were. Our hope and prayer for adults in this series is that we will take Jesus' invitation to heart and become fully present and fully alive to God's wonder-filled presence. For our children and grandchildren, the hope and prayer is that we can help them as they grow to discover their full spiritual identities as children of God in ways that are both individually unique and developmentally appropriate.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NRSV)

If you are interested in reading the book on which our sermon series is loosely based, we encourage you to pick up a copy of Faith Like a Child (IVP Formatio, 2023) by Lacy Finn Borgo at Hudubam or at Bookshop.org (where you can choose a bookstore to support with your purchase).

Parents and grandparents (and other caregivers and teachers) are invited to sign out a children's book each Sunday during Lent and to keep it for a week to read with your young mentor in the faith, so that you can observe and rediscover what a child's faith is like firsthand as you accept Jesus' invitation to become like a child. Return the book each week and check out a different title for the following week. At the end of the series, the books will be available in the narthex for parents and grandparents to take home as gifts, first come first served, to give to their child-faith mentors.

Now, let's play!

Children's Books to Accompany the Sermon Series

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
• Come Again, Pelican by Don Freeman
• Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard
• I Am Enough by Grace Byers
• Journey to the Heart: Centering Prayer for Children by Frank X. Jelenek
• Maybe: A story about the endless potential in all of us by Kobi Yamada
• Mother God by Teresa Kim Pecinovsky
• The Boy and the Ocean by Max Lucado
• Wally and the Crawdad Hole by Gary Straber
• Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot
• When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner
• Wonder Walkers by Micha Archer

Worship Schedule

• Wednesday, March 5, Ash Wednesday: "Accepting Self" (Psalm 51:1–17 and Matthew 6:1–6, 16–21)  
• Dinner 5:30 in Fellowship Hall; Worship 6:30 in Sanctuary   
• March 9, 1st Sunday in Lent: "Knowing God" (Genesis 2 and Matthew 19:13-15)
• March 16, 2nd Sunday in Lent: "Remembering Wonder" (Genesis 3 and Psalm 103:14-16)
• March 23, 3rd Sunday in Lent: "Spiritual Play" (Psalm 104 and Matthew 14:22-33)
• March 30, 4th Sunday in Lent: "Imaginate" (Mark 10:13-16 and John 6)
• April 6, 5th Sunday in Lent: "Holy Fool Humor" (Acts 20:7-12 and John 9)
• April 13, Passion/Palm Sunday: "Pay Attention" (Daniel 6 and Galatians 5)
• Thursday, April 17, Maundy Thursday: "Redeeming Wounds" (Exodus 12:1-14 and John 13:1–17, 31b–35)
• Dinner and Worship 6:00 in Fellowship Hall
• April 20, Easter/Resurrection of the Lord: "Deep and Wide" (Luke 24:1–12 and Ephesians 3:18-19)     
• Sunrise Service 6:30 at Downtown Commons; Worship 10:00 in Sanctuary