Lenten Theme: Wandering Heart—Figuring Out Faith with Peter

Lent 2024 - Wandering Heart

The Sundays of Lent will carry a special theme this year: Wandering Heart—Figuring Out Faith with Peter. We will focus on the life and faith of one of Jesus’ most famous disciples. In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer. In Peter, we often see ourselves. By following Peter’s journey, we watch the story of Jesus unfold through the eyes of a very normal human trying to figure it all out—just like us.

One element of our worship practice will be a deep dive into hymn #475 “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” As we look at Peter’s faith journey, the lyrics of this hymn sound in our hearts. It’s as if Peter himself wrote this song, though we know he did not. Like many of us, Peter has a wandering heart. His journey is not polished, or linear, or perfect, but he is always tethered to the love of God.

Together through this season, we intend to affirm that faith is a constant journey of steadfast pursuit, one that ebbs and flows. We will focus on the ways Peter keeps going: he drops his nets, he walks on water, he runs to the empty tomb, he swims to the shore to meet the risen Christ. He keeps searching and yearning and loving, even after missteps or mistakes.

Ultimately, in Peter’s story, we are reminded that God loves imperfect people—in fact, time and again, that’s precisely who God claims and calls.

Through this series, we will look for ourselves in the stepping stones of Peter’s story. We will reflect on the stages of our own faith journeys as well as who and what has shaped us along the way. As we wander, let us tune our hearts to sing God’s grace.