Looking into the lectionary - An Ash Wednesday lament

John 3:1-17 Second Sunday of Lent March 1, 2026 John 3:16 may be Christianity’s elevator pitch, but I have always been more drawn to the verses around it, where Jesus describes salvation in a way that is layered, mysterious, and more than a little confusing. Salvation, Jesus says, is like being born. Not a quick transaction or a single decision, but a long process of becoming: gradual, uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and often complicated. But it is the only way to life. Jesus suggests that we undergo two births in our lifetime. We are born of the flesh, and we are born from above, of the Spirit. We know how physical birth transpires, but this second birth is mysterious. Salvation is not a formulaic prayer or a ticket to paradise. It is the ongoing work of God that keeps us alive each and every day. Barbara Brown Taylor reflects on this in her memoir Leaving Church. She recalls being asked, “Tell us what is saving your life now.” She writes that it was such a good question, she has kept asking it ever since. What is saving your life now? I have borrowed that question often. But when I invite people to consider salvation, I usually begin one step earlier: What is killing you now? Because, in my experience, naming what is killing me often leads to recognizing what is saving me. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Want the worship resources for February 22, 2026? You can find them here. Order of worship — March 1, 2026 by Teri McDowell Ott What we lose when confessions are treated as optional by Keanu Heydari  Why we need “Heated Rivalry” now by Brittany Harrold Porch As universities shutter DEI offices, progressive Christian groups open their doors by Kathryn Post Horizons – The Woman Bent Over, Luke 13:10-17 by Rosalind Banbury Even now: an Ash Wednesday lament by Jennifer L. Aycock IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Kendrick Lamar: A theology of thirst, doubt and redemption Chris Burton offers a wide-ranging theological conversation on Kendrick Lamar’s music, tracing how doubt, trauma, faith and responsibility shape one of hip-hop’s most searching moral voices. Our faith calls us to share in letting empathy loose Alfred Walker shares how a 1989 letter from a man who was imprisoned opened a path for ministry. Christlike Acceptance Across Deep Difference Amy Pagliarella calls "Christlike Acceptance Across Deep Difference" a generous, honest invitation for churches to keep listening and learning across deep disagreement. Union Presbyterian Seminary expands hybrid learning to increase student access Union Presbyterian Seminary will shift its Richmond campus graduate and certificate programs to a fully hybrid model starting September 2026. — Union Presbyterian Seminary Charges dropped against some clergy arrested for protesting DHS in Chicago The state attorney’s office of Cook County, Illinois, announced it was dropping charges against 19 of the 21 people who were arrested at a demonstration in Broadview, Illinois, in November. — Jack Jenkins Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation Board names Ian Hall as A Corp president Hall has served as interim president and in two other roles for the past 13 months. — Mike Ferguson Task force will propose amendments to the PC(USA)’s 1984 Divestment Strategy This summer, commissioners to the 227th General Assembly will consider updated divestment criteria. — Mike Ferguson A daily Lenten devotional Explore how to live faithfully amid division and uncertainty through Matthew’s Gospel.