Lent, Holy Week, & Easter 2026
ENCOUNTERING THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reveals a vision of the Kingdom of Heaven that turns our worldly expectations upside-down. The values we cling to—power, status, retaliation, self-protection—are challenged at every turn. Love your enemies? Forgive not just once, but again and again? Discover strength through service and greatness through sacrifice? What seems backward by the world’s standards is, in fact, the opposite.
The artwork for this Lenten season seeks to illustrate our paradoxical theme:
The staircase at the center is solid, ordered, and predictable—yet it is also disorienting, an optical illusion. Are we ascending or descending? Where is the top, and where is the bottom? God's kingdom is upside-down.
The natural elements above and below the steps contrast with the rigid geometry, further evoking two realities. The muted, shadowed tones under the staircase represent the wilderness days of Lent, a season of fasting, repentance, and struggle. The vibrant colors above anticipate Easter's joy and the celebration of resurrection, renewal, and spring.
Lent, then, is not only a season of sacrifice. Lent is also a journey—step-by-step—into a kingdom that overturns expectations and reorients our vision. In encountering the upside-down kingdom, we discover that what seems inverted may in fact be the most magnificent, right-side-up reality of all.
Lenten Worship
sundays | FEB 22–MAr 29 | 10:00 aM
Worship with us in person in the Sanctuary or online via our livestream broadcast on Sundays at 10:00 AM, as well as on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Miss the livestream? Watch past services from our worship archive anytime.
Taizé Prayer Services
Tuesdays | Feb 24–Mar 31 | 6:30 PM
Lent invites us to slow down and contemplate, to “give up” an attachment or to embrace a particular spiritual practice. Taizé prayer services consist of candlelight, stillness, prayer, and gentle chant-like songs, creating space and ritual for this season of reflection. Services will be 30–45 minutes long and take place in our Chapel.
Good Friday
Friday | Apr 3 | 7:30 PM
The Sanctuary Choir will perform an original work by Dr. David Dunbar titled, "Journey to Golgotha." This nine-movement work, composed during David's very first job as a church music minister, takes the listener through the final days and hours of Christ's life, and up to the hill upon which he died, Golgotha. The work is accompanied by a slide presentation of images that is carefully timed to the music, allowing the focus of attention to be where it rightfully should be—upon the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior. Please note that this service will begin slightly later than usual, at 7:30 PM, in order to allow the full darkness of night to descend upon the Sanctuary. We hope you will come and share in this rare musical offering.
Easter
Sunday | Apr 5 | 9:00 & 11:00 AM
We are excited to invite you to the FPC Easter Resurrection Celebration on Sunday, April 5. There will be two identical worship services at 9:00 and 11:00 AM, featuring the Sanctuary Choir, Chancel Bell Choir, a brass ensemble, organ, and the story of the Good News. Invite a friend or family member and join us as we celebrate the hope of the resurrection and proclaim the Good News: Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
All-Church Retreat
FRIday | Mar 6 | 6:30–8:30 PM
Saturday | Mar 7 | 9:00 AM–12:00 pM
All four Gospels portray Jesus as a teacher who offers both reassurance and challenge. Nowhere is this contrast more striking than in Matthew’s Gospel, where passages of grace and comfort sit alongside stern warnings of judgment. Why do Jesus’s promises of abundant mercy exist alongside such frustrated, even angry warnings?
Join us for our all-church retreat, “The Uneasy Mercy We’re Promised in Matthew’s Gospel,” led by Rev. Dr. Matt Skinner, Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary and author of several books on the New Testament, who specializes in the social and political world Jesus inhabited. Cost is $25 for adults. All are welcome to attend.
