"Back to Life" // Fifth Sunday in Lent (3/22/26)

"HOPE BEGINS in the dark." - Anne Lamott When we’re in seasons of darkness and despair, we can often think; Is there anything that could bring this back to life? And there’s so much in our world to despair about these days - it's got many of us asking; is there any hope? Psalm 130 opens with this honest prayer: “Help, God—I’ve hit rock bottom! …hear my cry for help! Listen hard! Open your ears! Listen to my cries for mercy.” Hope is not only a life and death matter, hope is a life in death matter. Hope finds its greatest challenge, and shines its greatest light, when life stands in the face of death and affirms that God remains trustworthy. Ezekiel is called to prophesy this kind of hope in a valley of dried bones and lost dreams. The psalmist proclaims hope from the depths, as one who waits for the gift of a morning yet to dawn. And Jesus, stricken with a grief born of love, speaks hope into Lazarus’s tomb, calling his friend forth as a sign of God’s glory and of our hope. This Sunday, we'll get reminded that God is famous for resurrecting hopeless situations, for bringing things that seemed totally dead BACK TO LIFE - that’s His specialty! Sunday 9 & 10:30 AM // 70 Stephens Ln. Bayside, CA 95524