Everything In Between: Meeting God in the Midst of Extremes

A Minister's Message from Rev. Dr. Chris Shorow, Senior Minister cshorow@fccedmond.org 405.341.3544

We live in an either-or world.

You're either productive or falling behind. A good parent or barely holding it together. Faithful or full of questions. All in or checked out.

You're either with us or against us. On this side or that side. Someone we trust or someone we fear.

But real life doesn't work that way.

So much of life is lived somewhere in between. Between wanting to do better and doing the best we can. Between caring deeply and feeling overwhelmed. Between the people we understand and the ones who confuse us. Between who we are and who we hope to become.

Lent is a season that invites us to pay attention to that middle ground and to trust that God meets us there.

For centuries, Christians have used the forty days of Lent to slow down and notice what's true. Not to fix ourselves or figure everything out, but to be honest about our lives as they are. Lent gives us permission to name what's hard, to sit with what feels unresolved, and to trust that God is present even when answers don't come quickly.

This year at First Christian Church, our Lenten theme is Everything In Between. Throughout the season, we'll walk through the Gospel of Luke alongside Jesus as he makes his way toward Jerusalem. We'll encounter stories that resist easy answers—about unlikely neighbors, strangers who show mercy, rest and growth, the one lost sheep, a tax collector in a tree, and a thief on a cross.

These are stories Jesus told and lived in a world just as complicated and divided as ours. Each week we'll explore one of these tensions in worship—the gap between good intentions and faithful action, what it means to turn strangers into neighbors, the dance between rest and growth, being lost and found, choosing righteousness or mercy, knowing when to shout and when to stay silent, holding grief alongside hope.

This series is for anyone who feels worn down by extremes. For those navigating uncertainty, raising families, working, caring, and wondering how faith fits into a complex world. For those longing for something more spacious than black-and-white answers. For anyone tired of being told they have to pick a side.

Rather than focusing only on what to give up, we're holding Lent as a season for intention. A time to pay attention to our lives as they are and to make small, faithful choices that reflect care, connection, and love. Because when the world feels this heavy, this divided, this frayed, maybe what we need are some faithful ways to stay present, care for one another across our differences, and keep showing up.

As a companion to the worship series, we've crafted a Devotional Guide to support the journey at home, with family, or on your own. Each week includes scripture, brief reflections for adults and the kids they love, wondering questions, a prayer, and a gentle practice to try. Print copies are available, and the guide can also be found on our website. There's no pressure to do everything. Just an invitation to begin where you are.

Wherever you find yourself this season, you are welcome here. We hope this Lent offers room to breathe, space to be honest, and grace for everything in between.