Lent

Join us on March 5 at 12 pm or 7 pm as we begin the sacred journey of Lent with meaningful Ash Wednesday services in the Chapel. We’ll reflect on Jesus’ resolve to set His face toward Jerusalem, knowing the challenges and rejection ahead, and His call for us to follow Him with unwavering commitment.

Childcare will be provided for birth through preschool during the 7 pm service.

For most Christians, following Jesus is often reduced to rules and regulations. What if there’s more? What if following Jesus was more about what you do than what you don’t do? Imagine what your life would look like if you truly learned how to follow the leader and do what Jesus did! 

Jesus’ invitation to his first-century audience was an invitation to both intimacy and action. Come and discover that truth for yourself this Lenten season on a journey through the “travel narrative” section in the book of Luke. Join us on the Hill for Follow the Leader at 8:30 am in The Chapel and 10 am in The Worship Center.

This Holy Week, you're invited to experience Journey to the Cross at Church on the Hill. This is an interactive prayer experience designed to guide you through key moments of Scripture, helping you encounter Christ’s sacrifice in a deeper way. This offers a chance to prayerfully follow the steps of Jesus, reflecting on His obedience to the will of God and His victory over sin and death, which allows us to live in His victory.

This will be available as an in-person experience at Church on the Hill. You will need, at least, thirty minutes to fully complete this prayer encounter. This year, A Journey to the Cross is available to you on the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, April 16 from 5-6:30 pm
• Thursday, April 17 from 9-10 am
• Friday, April 18 from 5-6:30 pm
  

On Good Friday, we pause to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made for us. This day marks the moment when Jesus, in His great love, gave Himself to be crucified for the redemption of humanity. It’s a moment that changed everything and continues to resonate with hope and grace.

Join us on April 18 at 7:00 pm for a powerful Good Friday service in the Worship Center at Church on the Hill. This service will provide a space for reflection and solemn remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

In ancient times, Christians used to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem for Holy Week. One popular activity while they were there was to walk the route from Pilate’s house to Calvary, stopping for devotionals to commemorate various events that took place along the way.

Of course, most people didn’t do this every year, but they got so much spiritual benefit from walking the journey to the Cross that they created a way to do it at home. They made carvings or pictures of each of the events along the way, and placed them at intervals, either outdoors or in a church. Then they could walk the route, stop at each place to do a devotional, read the corresponding Scripture, pray, and relive the experience. Doing so made the experience accessible to people who couldn’t afford to travel to Jerusalem.

The word station comes from the Latin word that means, “to stand.” Thus, every place a train comes to a stop and stands for a while is called a station. You are invited to go for a walk; every point along the way where you find a picture and reading you are invited to stop and pray. It is a station along the way to the Cross.

Originally? Yes, because the popularity of this practice began in the Middle Ages, which was centuries before the Protestant Reformation began. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in the Stations of Cross. While some Roman Catholic versions of the stations contain some elements that appear to be extra-biblical, the fourteen stations we are using all come directly from the events found in Scripture. Thus, this activity is rooted in Christian history and tradition, steeped in Scripture, highly experiential, and very personal. We believe that wherever we are on our faith journey, God will meet us here and draw us even closer if we are receptive to the workings of God’s Spirit.   

We hope this will be a meaningful encounter with God and give you space to reflect on the events of Jesus’ crucifixion and his willingness to follow the will of God even to the Cross. Here are a few key ideas to help you get the most from this meditative exercise.

• Prepare: You will get the most from this time if you enter into it prayerfully. Take some time and spiritually prepare yourself by being still before the Lord and praying. Part of your preparation should be silencing your mobile device.
• Silence: Consider going through the entire journey without speaking. Be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
• Take your time: There is no need to rush – if someone behind you is going faster than you – simply allow them to pass through to the station ahead of you.
• Pray some more: Either before you start, but especially at the end. Spend some time in grateful prayer for God’s victory that Christ won for you on the Cross.

We invite you to enter the Story of God and prayerfully make the Journey to the Cross during Holy Week.