Lenten Study 2026
Will You?

     Holy Baptism is one of the two great sacraments of the Gospel given by Christ to his church. Jesus himself was baptized by John at the beginning of his public ministry. The Catechism states that in baptism we are joined with Christ in his death and resurrection, born into God’s family, the church, forgiven of our sins, and raised to new life in the Spirit. As we move into this season of Lent, with our country and the world in turmoil and human relationships divided over many issues, we can take this opportunity to re-evaluate our baptismal covenant in a deeper way. The first three questions of our Baptismal Covenant are about belief, a restatement of our creeds. The last five questions — the “will you” questions — are about action, and these action questions are the focus of this Lenten study. Throughout the season of Lent, we will take an in-depth look at the promises we make in our baptism using “Christian witness” as our lens. The “will you” questions of our Baptismal Covenant detail how we are to function within our faith communities and in the wider world as a result of the belief we profess. These “will you” questions follow an arc from a “gathering in” to a “sending out,” and this is the arc we will travel together through Lent. These questions are a natural framework for redefining evangelism and laying out a path for living into the promises we make when we answer these questions, “I will, with God’s help.”

“Will you” take this opportunity during this season of Lent to come join your brothers and sisters in Christ, both to take a deeper look at your own faith and to understand what we can do to make a difference? The Lenten series is broken down into 5 weeks and provides an opportunity each week to read and discern and dig deeper into your baptismal identity. This book has five chapters, each focusing on one of the “will you” questions, and each chapter is divided into seven brief reflections, perfect for daily engagement. These reflections include personal stories, history, theology, and material from common church resources such as scripture, hymns, and liturgy.

(Dinner will start at 6:00pm with those who wish to share in our tradition of Soup, Salad, and Bread each Wednesday during Lent. There will be a sign-up sheet in the Narthex to provide dinner items for each week. The program will begin at 7:00pm for those who wish to participate in the discussion only.)

Week 1: Feb 25^th– Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers?
Week 2: March 4^th– Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
Week 3: March 11^th– Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
Week 4: March 18^th– Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself ?
Week 5: March 25^th– Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?