For 40 days leading up to Easter we prepare ourselves for the Resurrection.

Our theme this year is Tell me something good – grounding ourselves in the good news this lent.

Ash Wednesday – 18th February 2026

The Good news is: all are invited

Today week we read from, Luke 14:15-24 with the Parable of the wedding banquet.

We begin Ash Wednesday with an open invitation. Instead of inviting people to focus internally on fasting and self-deprivation during Lent, this parable invites us into a communal feast. The host of the party sends a servant to search the entire city to bring people in: “Go to the highways and back alleys and urge people to come in so that my house will be filled.”(CEB) Though the net is cast wide, too many guests deny the invitation, instead focusing on their individual concerns. Yet, the host’s invitation is persistent. They search high and low for the dispossessed and the vulnerable, perhaps those who are hungry to accept the invitation. As guests are gathered in, the miracle is that there is still room. There is more love and abundance available, if only we are present to accept it.

First Sunday in Lent – Sunday 22nd February

The Good news is: so good it catches us by surprise

This week we read from, John 2:1-11 and the Wedding at Cana, along with Matthew 13:31-32 and the Parable of the mustard seed.

John’s Gospel doesn’t begin with a temptation story; instead, it opens Jesus’ ministry with a wedding miracle. It may feel a bit lavish to start the season of Lent with a wedding banquet, but the good news begins with joy. This week we focus on the subversive and playful nature of the good news. The kin-dom of heaven is so good it should catch us by surprise! Like a mustard seed, the good news can grow from the smallest seed into the tallest tree. Like an unruly weed, or fine wine saved for last, the good news is abundant and cannot be contained. As we sink into Jesus’ teachings throughout the season, we may not always be comfortable, but we can trust that these teachings are good, rooted in love, and worthy of celebration.

Second Sunday in Lent – Sunday 1st March

The Good news is: great love for God & neighbour

This week we read from, Luke 7:36-50 (Woman with the alabaster jar washes Jesus’ feet) | Matthew 25:35-40 (“Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me”) 

Simon and some Pharisees host a dinner for Jesus and an unexpected guest arrives: a woman from the city who kneels at Jesus’ feet and washes him with expensive perfume. Simon scoffs at this party foul, but Jesus reorients his focus, asking him to truly see the woman and recognise that she has shown “great love,” offering the tender hospitality he was not granted when he entered Simon’s home. The woman with the alabaster jar shows a shocking, extravagant love that exemplifies the greatest commandment: to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbour as yourself. Will the other guests see that loving God goes hand in hand with loving neighbour? We’ve paired this story with Jesus’ words in Matthew 25. When we care for the hungry, the naked, the imprisoned— each of whom are created in the image of God—we are showing love for God, too.

Third Sunday in Lent – Sunday 8th March

The Good news is: together, the impossible is possible 

Mark 6:32-44 (Feeding the 5,000) | Ephesians 3:20-21 (“By the power at work within us [God] is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine”) 

As Jesus and his disciples head to a deserted place, perhaps seeking peace and quiet, many from the surrounding towns follow them. Instead of turning them away, Jesus expresses compassion and begins an impromptu teaching session. As the day goes on, the disciples have logistics in mind and urge Jesus to send the people back into the villages so they can feed themselves. Instead, Jesus presents them with an impossible task: “You give them something to eat.” Dumbfounded, the disciples can only fathom the limitations and financial constraints of Jesus’ suggestion. Yet when they “go and see,” their meagre provisions multiply so that thousands are fed. This week we focus on building networks of collective care in order to meet people’s needs. Jesus models a way to be in community by coming together and sharing what we have, dispelling perceived impossibilities. The good news empowers us to believe in the miracles that can become possible through the power of community.

Fourth Sunday in Lent – Sunday 15th March

The Good news is: protection & care for the vulnerable 

Matthew 19:13-15 (Jesus blesses the children) Deuteronomy 24:17-22 (Care for the alien, the orphan, and the widow) 

In many modern contexts, it may seem sweet that Jesus welcomed little children; however, in Jesus’ context, spending time with children would have seemed wasteful or useless. When Jesus blesses a crowd of children (after the disciples rebuke them and try to send them away), he once again reorients socially constructed hierarchies to centre the vulnerable. Throughout his ministry, Jesus emphasised the last, the least, and the lost, building upon the mandates of the Hebrew Scriptures to care for the immigrant, widow, and orphan among you. Deuteronomy repeatedly reminds the Israelites, “you were once slaves in Egypt.” Their memory of oppression should impel them to provide for anyone under-resourced or cut off from the protection of a household. Similarly, Jesus uplifting children is a reminder that we were all once children and we have all been vulnerable at some point in our lives, relying on the protection and care of others. If we’re truly living out the good news, then anyone vulnerable will not only be protected from harm, but cared for so they have the chance to thrive.

Fifth Sunday in Lent – Sunday 22nd March

The Good news is: rooted in justice, mercy, & faithfulness

John 8:2-11 (Jesus refuses to condemn a woman caught in adultery) Matthew 23:23 (“You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”) 

As we move toward Holy Week, we acknowledge the ways Jesus’ ministry was increasingly at odds with the religious leaders who prioritised loyalty to legality and perceived Jesus’ teachings as a threat. While Jesus is teaching in the temple, some scribes and Pharisees interrupt to put both him and a woman caught in adultery on trial. Their questioning intensifies as they cite Mosaic Law and put the woman’s fate in Jesus’ hands. Instead of focusing on punishment, Jesus flips the script and invites each person to consider their own sin; Jesus defuses the spectacle by condemning no one. Much of Jesus’ teachings were grounded in his understanding of the Torah; however, many of his actions called for reinterpreting the law. As we wrestle with our own rules, we should ask, “What is the most just, merciful, and faithful interpretation?”

Palm / Passion Sunday – Sunday 29th March

The Good news is: inspiring us to act 

Mark 11:1-11 (Triumphal entry into Jerusalem) 

Roman triumph usually occurred during the week of Passover as a show of Rome’s might. The governor would have been surrounded by the wealthiest and most powerful citizens. In contrast, Jesus’ march is for the people—all the people: the hungry, the poor, the afraid. As Jesus enters Jerusalem, the crowd responds to Jesus’ authenticity and humility. Perhaps they can see past the pageantry of the Roman parade; in contrast, the goodness of Jesus’ leadership shines through, mobilising the crowds to take action by throwing cloaks in the street and waving palm branches in the air. The energy is infectious, a climactic moment in the grassroots movement of Jesus’ ministry. This week’s sub-theme intentionally places us in the crowd, inviting us to shout “Hosanna!,” to throw our coats down, and to wave branches. What will the good news inspire us to do? How will the gospel move us? As we head into Holy Week, how will we put Jesus’ teachings into practice?

Maundy Thursday – Sunday 7th April

The Good news is: even Judas gets his feet washed 

John 13:1-35 (Jesus washes the disciples’ feet) 

Knowing he is nearing the end, Jesus surrounds himself with his closest friends. Though he is very aware of who will betray him, he doesn’t exclude Judas or Peter from the table. In modern times, we might have canceled Judas, but Jesus chooses to care for him instead, offering him bread and cup and loving care. Jesus doesn’t define Judas by his worst act. If we put ourselves in Judas’ shoes, it really is good news that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We are not judged by our worst actions, which means we are called to extend grace to others too. The good news is that God’s radical, unstoppable love extends to all people—even to those who wrong us, even to us on our worst days.

Holy Friday – Friday 12th April

The Good news is: revealed through nonviolence 

Luke 22:47-53; Luke 23:33-38, 44-46 (Judas’ betrayal; Jesus heals the servant of the high priest’s ear after his disciples draw swords; Jesus forgives those crucifying him)

Where is the good news on Good Friday? Where do we see glimpses of goodness within an awful, brutal story? Jesus kisses the one who betrays him. He exclaims, “No more!” in the fury of drawn swords, offering healing instead. He uses his final breaths to plead for forgiveness for those who have crucified him. Jesus is stripped of all decency and humanity, yet his actions reveal the good news of a peaceful God. Meanwhile, the actions of others around him— the betrayals, the mocking, the derision, the mob mentality, and the violence—reveal who we are at our worst. The Passion narrative tears down any facade. Everything is revealed in this moment, for better and for worse. The good news is Jesus’ ministry is not defeated by death—it is only interrupted. More will be revealed on the third day.

Easter Sunday 14th April

The Good news is: alive in the world 

Matthew 28:1-10 (“Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”)

Death cannot stop the good news. It is alive, unbound, and wild in the world. Like the mustard seed, it grows without limit. Like water turned into wine, it surprises us with joy. Like loaves of bread, it multiplies to feed each hungry soul. And now, even in the face of death, it will not be buried or silenced. Just as the angels in Advent, the angel at the empty tomb delivers good news: “Do not be afraid.” On the way to Galilee, Jesus greets the women with this same message, but adds: “Go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” As we celebrate the good news of Easter, let us also go out seeking Christ in the faces of neighbours and strangers, and in the good works that are alive in this world.