FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT
April 3, 2022
AS WE GATHER
From the outside looking in, our walking together through the forty days of Lent does not seem nearly as exciting as the cheerfulness of Christmas or the elation of Easter, which we will experience two short weeks from today. Yet there is much joy to be found! There’s a great reason to rejoice! God blesses us with time together today to fix our eyes on Jesus and receive Him who was rejected for our redemption, forsaken for our forgiveness, and sacrificed for our salvation. Following the example of Paul, we cast everything else aside and find joy—true, lasting, eternal joy—in “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8). Jesus longs for us to receive Him as He reveals Himself by His Word and Spirit, learning to know Him for who He truly is and what He has come to give. Christ alone is our joy—at Christmas, at Easter, during the season of Lent, and every day we are given! “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
BIBLE READINGS
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Isaiah 43:16–21 (The Lord gives refreshment in the wilderness to His chosen people.)
EPISTLE READING: Philippians 3:8–14 (Everything is counted as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.)
HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 20:9–20 (The rejected Son of God is our cornerstone.)