Walking in the Light: A Lenten Journey Together
Dear Church Family,
In just a few days we will begin the season of Lent, and this year I want to invite you into something intentional and shared.
Throughout Lent, we will walk together through the book of 1 John in a series called Walking in the Light: A Lenten Journey of Grace and Growth.
Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter. It has long been a season when Christians slow down, examine their lives honestly, and return again to the grace of God. It is not about spiritual pressure. It is about making space for God to shape us.
We will begin this journey with an Ash Wednesday service in our sanctuary this Wednesday evening. There will be Scripture, prayer, silence, and the imposition of ashes — a simple reminder that our lives belong to God and that we are invited to walk in God’s light. I hope you will join us.
Why 1 John?
Because it is deeply practical and deeply pastoral. It speaks about light and darkness, love and fear, truth and belonging. It reminds us that faith is not just something we say we believe. It is something we live.
Over these weeks, we will talk honestly about growth. In fact, 1 John uses the words “perfection,” “perfect,” and “perfected” when describing the love of followers of Jesus. Those words can be confusing for us. We will take time to unpack them carefully. At their heart, they are not about becoming flawless. They are about becoming more loving — steadily, truthfully, and over time.
God meets us before we respond.
God welcomes us when we fall short.
And God patiently shapes us into people who love more deeply.
This journey fits naturally with who we are at Hillspring. We are a community learning to live, love, and grow into the life God intends. And we hold to these core values:
We will Become more like Jesus through the
work of the Holy Spirit as we:
Connect with the people God has put in our lives
Develop meaningful relationships
Change the world for good.
During Lent, as we walk through 1 John together, we will be living into these values in very practical ways. We will listen to Scripture together. We will connect in conversation. We will allow God to develop deeper roots in us. And we will ask how love can move outward into the places where we live and serve.
And we will do this together. Faith is not formed in isolation. It takes shape as we listen, pray, struggle, and learn side by side.
This is not just a sermon series. It is a churchwide journey.
Our Sunday worship will focus on 1 John each week.
Our Sunday School class will explore the same book in greater depth.
Our small groups, men’s groups, and women’s groups will use a shared guide to talk through the material and pray together.
My hope is that you won’t simply hear these themes once on Sunday and move on. I hope you will sit with them, talk about them, and allow them to take root.
Formation happens slowly. It happens in shared life. It happens as we listen to Scripture together and make small, faithful choices week by week.
If you have been longing to grow, to reconnect, or to live with more courage and clarity, I invite you into this season.
Join us this Sunday.
Join a class.
Join a group.
Join us Wednesday night as we begin Lent together.
Let’s walk in the light — honestly, patiently, and shaped by grace.
With you in the journey,
Bryan