This year, as we walk with Jesus through the story of his life, death, and resurrection, we will pay special attention to how Jesus understands this process. When Jesus begins to speak about what lies ahead, he does not describe it with images of triumph or escape. Instead, he reaches for an image rooted in creation itself. He speaks of a seed that must fall into the ground and die in order to bear fruit (John 12:24). In his own words, what looks like loss is not the end at all, but the necessary beginning of new life.

As a tangible way to engage in the transformational process of death and resurrection, we will participate in the simple but sacred act of planting seeds. We will practice the spiritual disciplines of presence, trust, and patience as we nurture and care for the new life we will help bring forth.

On the first Sunday of Lent, every member of the congregation will be provided with dirt, seeds, and pot. Through water, the sun, and in the warmth of our homes - we will all experience the miracles of growth and new life. On Easter Sunday, everyone will bring their plants back to church so we can see together the evidence of God’s power at work. Everyone is encouraged to stay connected throughout the Lenten season by sharing reflections or images on social media of what is happening, either within yourself or in your potted plant.

February 18 – Ash Wednesday (Joint Service with First Baptist Church of Stilwell)

• Worship Service at 6:00pm in the Sanctuary
• Themes: Confession, Mortality, Sin
• Scripture: Genesis 2:5-7

 

February 22 - First Sunday in Lent

• Theme: Soil and darkness name both our beginning and our limits. Humanity is formed from the ground and entrusted with its care, yet the earth also carries the weight of human choice and brokenness. In Scripture, darkness is not only a place of loss but the hidden space where life begins. Seeds are buried before they grow. Lent invites us to face the truth of the ground we stand on and the ground within us, trusting that God continues to create and sustain life even when growth is slow or unseen.
• Special Video: “How to Improve your Soil”
• Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:17-19

 

March 1 - Second Sunday in Lent

• Theme: In John’s Gospel, Jesus names a hard truth of growth: life is multiplied only through letting go. Seeds fall, break open, and disappear into the earth so that something larger can take shape. Yet seeds do not grow in isolation. Life spreads through connection - through the quiet, faithful work of pollination, as what is carried from one place becomes life in another. Much of this work is unseen and uncelebrated, but without it, growth stalls and fruit never comes. Lent invites us to consider what must be released and how we are bound to one another in God’s work of sustaining life. At the table, we remember that Christ’s life is given away so that life might take root far beyond a single place or moment.
• Special Speaker: Cindy Burton
• Scripture: John 12: 20-33

 

March 8 - Third Sunday in Lent (Daylight Saving Day)

• Theme: Cultivation is intentional work. Growth does not happen by accident, nor does it happen all at once. In Galatians, Paul speaks to a community learning how to live together faithfully, reminding them that what we plant and how we care for it matters. Some work prepares the ground, some nourishes what is growing, and some requires patience as we wait for fruit to form. Lent calls us to the steady practices of cultivation - tending our own lives and our shared life with care - trusting that God honors faithful labor done over time.
• Special Speaker: Bret Pilney
• Scripture: Galatians 6:1-10

 

March 15 - Fourth Sunday in Lent

• Themes: In Joel, the loss of crops is more than an agricultural disaster. It is the collapse of joy itself. Where there had been abundance, celebration, and shared meals, there is now scarcity and silence. Grain, wine, and oil (signs of God’s provision) are gone - and with them the gladness of the people. Joel presses the community to reckon not only with what has happened, but with why. This moment of famine forces hard questions about past choices and present practices. Lent invites us to consider how what came before has shaped the reality we now face, and how the patterns we continue may determine the future we are handing on. A faithful response begins with honesty - naming loss, examining responsibility, and choosing a different way forward if needed.
• Special Speaker: Jennifer Ruhnke
• Scripture: Joel 1:1-20

 

March 22 - Fifth Sunday in Lent

• Theme: Growth sometimes requires removal. In John’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of pruning not as punishment, but as care. Branches are not cut away because they are worthless, but because unchecked growth can weaken the whole vine. Pruning is precise, intentional work that shapes what remains so it can bear fruit. Lent invites us to consider what needs to be trimmed or released — habits, assumptions, or patterns that once served a purpose but now limit life. This is not work done in haste or anger, but in trust that God’s shaping leads toward deeper connection and greater fruitfulness.
• Special Speaker: JoAnn O’Roark
• Scripture: John 15:1-11

 

March 29 – Palm/Passion Sunday

• Themes: Flowering and maturity often arrive with tension rather than ease. What appears to be a moment of fullness can also mark the beginning of decline. On Palm Sunday, joy and celebration reach their height even as the path ahead bends toward suffering. Like plants responding instinctively to light and darkness, life reacts to pain by closing in, pulling back, or bracing for what is coming. Lent invites us to resist easy triumphalism and to notice how quickly praise can give way to fear, silence, or withdrawal. This day calls us to hold together what is ripening and what is already beginning to fade, trusting that God is still at work even as the story moves toward loss.
• Special Presentation & Video: “Nyctinastic Movements”
• Scripture: Matthew 27:11-36

 

April 2– Maundy Thursday

• A Special Worship Service at 6pm

April 3 – Good Friday

An Ecumenical Worship Service at 12:00pm - St. Francis Episcopal Church

 

April 5 – Easter Sunday

• Theme: Harvest is the joy of gathered life. What was planted in faith, tended with patience, and often hidden from view is finally revealed. Good soil produces good crops, not for display alone, but for nourishment, sharing, and joy. On Easter, resurrection is not only proclaimed but seen. The plants we bring forward bear witness to God’s steady work through the season - life drawn up from darkness, shaped over time, and now offered for the good of others. In Scripture, resurrection and harvest belong together. New life is not private or fragile; it is abundant, sustaining, and meant to be gathered so that many may live.
• Scriptures: Matthew 13: 1-9   &  Matthew 28:1-10

For more information about participating or leading in worship, please click the following links:

• Sunday Morning Worship Information
• Stilwell UMC's Worship Ministries