The season of Lent allows us to prepare ourselves to hear and comprehend the central event of our faith: Jesus’s death on a cross for the salvation of the world. As Christians, we celebrate that God took what was supposed to be the supreme act of punishment and transformed it into an act of mercy. God’s kindness in the face of cruelty can still astound us today, if we pay attention. This seven-week series explores God’s mercy in some of the hardest and strangest situations, reminding us of the goodness of God’s heart.
The title of this series was inspired by the title and themes of Carrie Newcomer’s 2023 album, A Great Wild Mercy. I am indebted to her faith and artistry.
Week 1: “Suddenly Angels”
Scripture: Matthew 4:1-10
In the Revised Common Lectionary, Lent always begins in the wilderness, with Jesus squaring off with the devil and his temptations. It is a particularly merciless place, both in its geography and in the devil’s cruel insistence that Jesus prove his own worth. Often, our whole attention in this passage is captured by the appearance of the devil. Yet the ending is as important, when God suddenly sends angels to tend to an exhausted, starving Jesus. If we are inclined to think of mercy only as forgiveness, then this makes no sense – Jesus certainly did not need forgiveness. But if we expand our definition of mercy to include kindness and tenderness when it is not absolutely needed, then God shows mercy to Christ, in these sudden angels. Instead of focusing on spiritual disciplines of rigidity, sacrifice, or scarcity, encourage your congregation to find a Lenten practice of mercy for themselves and/or others.
Week 2: “Water in the Wilderness“
Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7
If Jesus in the wilderness did nothing wrong and yet received God’s mercy, then the Israelites in the wilderness do almost nothing right and yet receive God’s mercy, too. This is not a sweet story. The Israelites are panicky, fearful, even bullish; Moses is testy and grudging; and God’s miracle is not accompanied by any great declaration of love and faithfulness. But amidst all this bad behavior, God does still cause water to flow from the rock, so the people can drink, and stay alive. Sometimes mercy doesn’t resolve anything, but is simply a moment of respite along the journey, or a reprieve for another day of living. Here and across the Bible, God’s mercy is not given to us because we deserve it. God does mercy simply because God is merciful, even on the bad days.
Week 3: “At the Cliff’s Edge”
Scripture: Mark 5:1-19
This is one of the oddest scriptures in the gospels, harsh and haunting. We have a man cast out by his community, but not from prejudice or judgment; this man is truly a danger, to himself and to others. When Jesus comes ashore, the demons who possess him cry out in fear. They ask Jesus not to torture them, which I think says more about their perspective of what power is for than about Jesus. They beg to be sent into a herd of pigs, and Jesus gives them what they ask for. It’s easy to get caught up in the metaphysics of demons here, but the point is that Jesus sees this dangerous, strange man as a person worthy of healing and care. The man wants, understandably, to go with his savior, but Jesus sends him back to his community, to show them God’s mercy. The healing is not just for one man, but for a whole people.
Week 4: “Pity for the Shrub”
Scripture: Jonah 3:10-4:30
The story of Jonah is a Sunday School favorite, but its last chapter is rarely read and is both much more challenging and much more human. Jonah is furious that God will not destroy the Ninevites, despite their repentance. It’s worth noting that Nineveh, as the capital of the Assyrian empire, was a place built on blood and stolen gold. Archaeological fragments from Nineveh boast of how, when they captured a foreign city, they filled the streets with the bodies of children and elderly alike. Jonah’s hatred of Nineveh is not petty; it is grounded in the very real harm Nineveh has done. And so Jonah’s anger still thunders. He goes out to the wilderness, where God causes a shrub to grow and shade him, then a worm to take it away. And by that small act of care-and its removal-God reaches through to the part of Jonah’s heart that can still feel compassion. Once Jonah is willing to listen, God explains that God could not destroy the city because it contained so many innocents – children, dependents, animals. God’s mercy can be unsettling when we want to take judgment into our own hands, yet God sees the world more fully than we ever could.
Week 5: “Caught in the Act”
Scripture: John 8:1-11
Although placed in the Gospel of John, this little vignette almost certainly did not originate in his gospel. It likely floated freely through Christian tradition until coming to rest here. Perhaps that is why it is so powerful – it was too good to let go of. It is a tense and dramatic story. Jesus’ teaching is disrupted by a group of elders who are trying to trap him, and who have baited the trap with a human woman. Jesus refuses to be drawn into judgement. Instead, by writing in the dirt, he offers them all space. Then he asks them to reflect on their own sinfulness. The woman is not condemned, and her captors are given the chance to walk away without doing further harm. Jesus offers mercy all around, not in grand speeches but in second chances. Jesus does not condemn – and that is good news for all of us.
Week 6: “Who Is This?”
Palm/Passion Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 21:1-11
As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, the city comes alive with one question: Who is this? The crowds who have come with him answer the question, “It is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.” But that is a very incomplete answer. Explore with your congregation the various stories in which Jesus lifted up the power of mercy, whether through his actions, his teachings, and even his holding the merciless to account. Bring the story forward, to when this merciful one will be treated mercilessly by the leaders and crowds calling for his execution. Jesus is God’s mercy embodied and rejected, just as so many now reject mercy, kindness, empathy, and compassion as weak and ridiculous. If we claim to follow Christ, we must hold to mercy with the strength that he did, even to the point of forgiving from the cross.
Week 7: “Great Wild Mercy”
Easter Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10
One of the strangest things about the Easter story is that it does not directly feature Jesus. By the time the disciples get to the tomb, Jesus is already up and gone and on the move, back into the world he came to save. What the disciples do see is an angel, sitting on the stone so that it cannot be rolled back into place. On Easter, God let a great wild mercy loose into the world, and we cannot bottle it up, no matter how hard we try to get in God’s way. As Christians, our job is follow Christ out into even the wildest situations the world has to offer, with the same tenacious, world-saving commitment to kindness, goodness, and mercy.
Ministry Resources
Great Wild Mercy Liturgy
- Weekly Call to Worship
- Weekly Confessional Prayer
- The Size of Your Heart: a Communion Liturgy
- Second Chances: an Easter Communion Liturgy
Great Wild Mercy Graphics
- editable Canva templates for the series, Holy Week, and Easter. (If this link doesn’t function correctly, please Contact Me directly.)
A Curated Spotify Playlist, featuring Christian contemporary, folk, and hymns, along with a smattering of secular songs that speak to the theme
As a small church pastor who knows the joys of a “just-enough” budget, I’m committed to keeping these resources free or low-cost. However, if you find these resources helpful and want to support the cost of maintaining the site, donations are always welcome! Unfortunately, at this time donations are not tax-deductible.
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