“We will tell the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and the wonders that God has done.” —Psalm 78

Dear Church, Lent invites us into a story. Not a story we invent. Not a story we control. But the story of God’s faithfulness: a story that holds us, shapes us, and sends us. 

From the beginning, faith has been carried through story. Around tables. In sanctuaries. At bedsides. In wilderness moments. In seasons of exile and in seasons of homecoming. This year in the Grand Canyon Synod, we are leaning into our theme: Rooted in God’s Story. To be rooted is to be grounded in something deeper than the news cycle, deeper than anxiety, deeper than our own limited understanding. Roots draw nourishment from what is unseen. They anchor us when winds blow. 

In Lent, we tend the roots. One way we are doing this together across the synod is through our Lenten Challenge, with its simple daily practices that invite prayer, reflection, and acts of mercy. I encourage you to participate as you are able, allowing these small, faithful rhythms to deepen your connection to God’s story and to one another. We listen again to the story of Jesus — the Word who “became flesh and lived among us.” We walk with him toward Jerusalem. We hear his teaching. We watch him kneel to wash feet. We stand at the foot of the cross. We wait at the tomb. And in the waiting, we remember that this story is not only about what God did long ago. It is about what God is doing now. This year at our Spring Gatherings, we will spend time reflecting on the prayer Jesus taught us — the Lord’s Prayer. These familiar words are more than just a habit. They are a story of how we are rooted: Our Father. Daily bread. Forgiveness. Deliverance. A kingdom coming even now. When we pray these words together, we are connected again in the story of God who provides, forgives, liberates, and reigns in mercy. Lent prepares us to tell that story, in a world that is hungry for hope. The apostle writes that we are to “always be ready to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3). We do this as we live lives shaped by mercy and as we create communities marked by welcome. We give an account to hope as we witness to Jesus among us with courage and boldness. As you journey through these forty days, I invite you to consider: Where has God’s story met your own? Where are your roots being strengthened? Who needs to hear the story of hope you carry? We are rooted in God’s story so that we may become storytellers ourselves, embodying the good news. Let us walk this Lenten path together — grounded, honest, hopeful — trusting that the One who began this story will bring it to completion.

With You on the Journey,

The Rev. Deborah K. Hutterer
Bishop
Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA