Between Sundays for the Week of March 2, 2026
Our Lenten journey has begun. This year’s theme – Inspired Conversations – invites us to listen deeply to Jesus and to the people around us. As we listen, we build community and connections and recognize the many ways our common humanity unites us.
What conversations do you fear?
In Sunday’s gospel (John 3:1-17), a man named Nicodemus fears conversation with Jesus. Word of Jesus’ mighty acts had already begun to spread and people, like Nicodemus, were curious about Jesus, but also fearful of approaching him. As a leader of the Pharisees, Nicodemus would have been part of the temple leadership. He had devoted his life to the study of Torah. He was one that others came to when they needed answers, and yet here he was with questions of his own.
Nicodemus had so much to lose. How could he risk admitting to his colleagues that there was something about Jesus that was compelling? How could he risk acknowledging that the religious framework on which he had staked his life and shaped his understanding of God might be flawed, or at least, incomplete?
In John 3:16, Jesus speaks the words that Martin Luther called “the gospel in miniature.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jesus continues with a verse equally important: Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. Jesus’ presence in this world is for the sake of inviting all people into an enduring and eternal relationship with Jesus, God’s love made flesh.
In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus hints at what’s to come. His life, death, and resurrection will reveal that God’s love is poured out for the world. Jesus’ words to Nicodemus are an invitation to all of us to ask the questions we fear, to admit our “I don’t knows,” to embrace the uncertainties, to dwell in the tender parts of our stories, and to trust that Jesus is with us in the midst of it all.
God so loves the world that that there is no conversation, no question that is too scary that we cannot approach Jesus with it. And there is no conversation, no question that is too scary that Jesus will not remain with us as we ask it of others, or even ourselves.
Remember, during Lent we gather Wednesday evenings for a simple supper at 6 pm in the fellowship hall and Holden-inspired worship at 7 pm in the sanctuary!
May God inspire our conversations and sustain our faith this Lenten season!
P.S. Our livestream recording offers you the opportunity to to hear the dramatic reading of the gospel and Pastor Amy’s full sermon (beginning at 24:50). You can also share in the worship service on our website, where you will also find links to previous worship videos.
P.P.S. Click the graphic below for the full Lenten schedule!
Faith Connection at Home
BLC’s calendar featuring Inspired Conversation starters allows families a flexible and quick way to connect with each other during this lenten season. If your family is anything like mine, days can pass when it seems the only time we have together is riding in the car on the way to the next activity. Inspired Conversation starters provide an invitation to connect through sharing and listening to each other, if only for a few minutes during a busy day – waiting for the bus, riding in the car, eating a quick meal at Tom Wahls, getting ready for bed.
You can find these questions in several places this lent:
- here in the Family Faith Connection each week
- on a print calendar that you can pick up at church
- digitally on our BLC website (or by clicking here)
- on BLC’s social media Instagram and Facebook accounts weekly
We encourage you to use the questions in a way that works for your family: with tweaks, shuffled around, or with your own created questions.
Ponderings
During the prayers of the people on Sunday, Pastor Amy shared a portion of the message from Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land written in response to the start of military action in Iran:
Dear partners, we urge you to pray, and pray fervently. But do not let prayer become a substitute for responsibility. Let your prayers be joined with courageous and concrete action. Stand publicly with those are afflicted. Advocate persistently for a just peace that safeguards the dignity and security of all people. Challenge policy makers whose narratives make endless war appear inevitable.