Lent at Mount Olivet | Arlington, VA

Lenten Study

Begins Sunday, February 26 and Wednesday, March 1

How do we effectively confront racial injustice? How do we move beyond talking about racism and start equipping ourselves to fight against it?

Using Jemar Tisby's book and video series How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey toward Racial Justice we will explore these questions and so much more.

Please register using the form below.

Picture of Jemar Tisby's book "How To Fight Racism"

Your generosity directly supports life-changing organizations in Arlington

Your generosity is powerful, no matter the amount. When you contribute to the Lenten Offering, you're engaging in community work that truly makes a difference in the lives of your neighbors. Throughout Lent, we'll be learning about and supporting the following organizations:

A Daily Lenten Practice

Pastoral staff and members of the Racial Equity team invite each of you to participate in a practice based on our Lenten theme of “made in the image of God,” as found in Genesis 1:27.

We hear the words “made in the image of God” in sermons and Sunday school and read them in books. Perhaps these words are so familiar that we just pass them off without giving any thought to their meaning and implications for us.

In the daily Lenten practice, we invite you to be intentional about your understanding that you are made in the image of God, and all people are made in the image of God.

The image of God that is in each of us reflects God’s light of love, compassion, generosity, justice, and peace in a world that sorely needs to feel this and act on this.

Our prayer is that you will feel transformed by participating in this practice and become closer in your relationship with God and the people around you.

Pick up a card at church or download one to print.

An image of two vertical cards that have a trinity symbol and words.

Worship

You're invited to join Mount Olivet on Sundays during Lent as we dive into our sermon series Image of God. We'll be looking at topics like repentance, reconciliation, and hope.

View Worship Archive →

Reconciliation

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Fourth Sunday of Lent

Rev. Teer Hardy
2 Corinthians 5:16-21

As we continue our journey through Lent we turn our attention to reconciliation. The Oxford Dictionary says to be reconciled to another is to have "friendly relations" restored.

As we know it, reconciliation can feel to be a human act, between feuding individuals or communities. But the Apostle Paul has another take on reconciliation. In our scripture reading he writes that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Godself," meaning, that if we truly want to be reconciled to one another, we first recognize that we have been reconciled to God, by God, and not by our own hand.

And this flips how we approach reconciliation as individuals and communities.

View Order of Worship

Healing

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Third Sunday of Lent

Rev. Sara Keeling
Isaiah 58:1-12

During this season of Lent we are continuing a journey of exploring racial justice. This Sunday we listen to the words of Isaiah calling us to repair, restore and to heal. Healing requires acknowledging the pain that is present and moving forward in various ways to wholeness.

Part of our journey is telling our stories, calling out racial injustice that we see, and working toward ways that we can be a part of efforts to heal the harm that has been done. We pray and trust that God is leading us in this work!

View Order of Worship

Repentance

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Second Sunday of Lent

Rev. Sara Keeling
Isaiah 1:16-17

Today is the second Sunday of Lent and our communal journey of exploring racial justice. We focus on repentance today, of turning away from sin and in the words of Isaiah “learning to do good and seek justice.”

We repent of our collective and individual complicity and perpetuation of racial injustice in our spheres of influence. May God challenge and comfort us in our wilderness sojourn.

View Order of Worship

Lamentation

Sunday, February 26, 2023

First Sunday of Lent

Rev. Teer Hardy
Psalm 13

Today is the first Sunday in our forty-day journey toward Easter. We trade the Alleluia's of worship for purple linens throughout the sanctuary. We trade the bright light of Epiphany for fasting and repentance.

Today is also the first Sunday in our congregational study, examining racism in our lives, in the life of our congregation, and beyond. In the words of Jemar Tisby, today we begin to open a door to "explore the possibilities of a world in which racism does not define so much of our reality."

Rather, over the coming weeks we will explore how we can celebrate differences while not using "them to dismiss or dehumanize." We pray this time of worship will be a blessing to you.

View Order of Worship

We're on a congregation wide journey towards racial justice.

Lenten Study

Activities to Fight Racism

Your generosity directly supports life-changing organizations in Arlington