When most of us were growing up, we heard a version of the same story: Jesus came to die for our sins. It was presented as simply part of the plan — settled, straightforward, and not up for much discussion. For a long time, I accepted that without much question.
Then I went to college, then seminary, and a professor named Dr. Bell said something that has never left me: “Jesus didn’t have to die — but it was inevitable.” That single sentence cracked something open for me. It changed how I read the Gospels, how I understand salvation, and honestly, how I show up as a pastor. I’ve been turning it over ever since.
This Lent, I’d like to turn it over together.
We’re going to spend this season exploring what theologians call atonement theories — which sounds intimidating, but the word itself is a great starting point. Break it apart: at-one-ment. How do we become at one with God? How does reconciliation happen? How is that relationship restored? These are the questions the Church has been wrestling with for two thousand years, and there is no single, agreed-upon answer — and that’s actually good news.
We’ll be looking at the story of Jesus through three different lenses: the Incarnation (when the Word became flesh and God entered fully into human life), the life and ministry of Jesus (his teaching, his relationships, his miracles), and the death and resurrection (the part most of us are most familiar with). What’s surprising is how many different and meaningful ways the Church has understood each of those moments as the place where salvation happens.
Some theories say it’s about the cross. Others say salvation began the moment Jesus was born. Others find it in the way Jesus lived — who he ate with, what he taught, who he touched. We’ll explore all of these, and my hunch is that by the end, most of us won’t want to choose just one.
Because how we understand the significance of Jesus matters. It shapes how we read Scripture, how we pray, how we think about what God is like — and perhaps most practically, it shapes how we live in the world.
We’ll gather Sunday afternoons following worship for about an hour, for five sessions running February 22nd through March 22nd. You don’t have to make every week — come when you can, and jump right in. All are welcome, questions are encouraged, and no prior theology background is required.
I hope you’ll join us this Lent. These are some of the oldest and most important questions the Church has ever asked — and they’re worth asking together.