John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
THEME HOOK
Discovering true love despite the Valentine’s Day hype.
Kids hear about “love” everywhere in February—candy hearts, crushes, and silly movies—but those messages are confusing and don’t last. Sometimes, “love” sounds like it’s just about feelings or gifts, and that can leave kids feeling left out or unsure what real love is.
The LOVE of God 4-week series helps children look past all the Valentine’s Day hype to discover what real love looks like in the Bible. Each week, we’ll investigate a new story that spells L-O-V-E and shows why God’s love is the best love of all.
GOSPEL CONNECTION
Across L-O-V-E, children trace the storyline of redemption: humanity’s fall, God’s rescuing pursuit, Christ’s victorious sacrifice, and the promise of eternal life. Each week points beyond “try harder” to trusting Jesus’ finished work.
FIVE WEEK LESSON OVERVIEW
WEEK 1
God’s Love is (L) Long-Suffering
Bible Story
Adam & Eve Disobey but God Still Cares (Genesis 3)
Key Discovery
Even when I mess up, God still loves me and wants to forgive me.
Takeaway
I can always ask God for forgiveness and know He will still love me.
WEEK 2
God’s Love is (O) One-of-a-Kind
Bible Story
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Matthew 18:10-14)
Key Discovery
I am so important to God that He will always come looking for me.
Takeaway
I can remember that I matter to God and help others know they matter too.
WEEK 3
God’s Love is (V) Victorious
Bible Story
Jesus and Nicodemus (John 3:1-21)
Key Discovery
Jesus loves me so much that He gave His life so I can live forever with Him.
Takeaway
I can always trust Jesus to save me and give me hope for forever.
WEEK 4
God’s Love is (E) Eternal
Bible Story
David’s Song & John the Baptist’s Birth (Psalm 139:13-18; Luke 1:39-45)
Key Discovery
God’s love for me never ends—He has loved me since before I was born.
Takeaway
I can always trust that God will love me no matter what, every single day.
WEEK 5
LOVE is for Sharing
Bible Story
The Early Church Shares Everything (Acts 2:42–47)
Key Discovery
God’s love grows stronger when we share it with others through kindness and community.
Takeaway
I can show God’s love by sharing what I have and helping others know about Jesus.
This year during the Fridays in Lent, there will be awesome fish dinners available to pick up at LifeBridge.
The organization, “Charitable Heroes Achieving Memorable Performances” (aka: “CHAMP”) will be doing this at LifeBridge as a fundraiser while their permanent location is being finished.
CHAMP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity organized to raise funds to promote Youth Activities, (Scouts, Special Olympics, Little League), provide scholarships to graduating High School Seniors, and assist Veterans organizations.
These Fish Dinners help them raise money for these and other causes.
Dinners include the following:
Fried Fish
Potato Salad
Pinto Beans
Coleslaw
Hush Puppies
Just $13 / Plate!
They can be picked up on during the following:
February 20
4:30 – 7:00 PM
February 27
4:30 – 7:00 PM
March 6
4:30 – 7:00 PM
March 13
4:30 – 7:00 PM
MArch 20
4:30 – 7:00 PM
March 27
4:30 – 7:00 PM
April 3 (Good Friday)
3:30 – 6:00 PM
Why cook? Pick up dinner at LifeBridge on Fridays this Lent and help others out while doing it!
This Lenten season we will be going through “The Book of EXODUS: Let My People Go!”
Throughout the book of Exodus God reveals who he is through his absence and his presence, through his silence and his speech, through his wrath and his mercy, and through his judgement and his amazing grace. In doing so, the book paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus.
R. Reed Lessing (series author)
Exodus gives us a wonderful image of God saving His people with “a strong hand and an outstretched arm” (Deuteronomy 26:8). In fact, the first commandment in the Jewish numbering system is “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).
That’s something for us to hold on to and a reality we can live in when we look at the chaos of our world, our culture, and our lives.
We can feel so trapped and helpless, and looking to our culture only exacerbates those feelings!
But God is faithful, and as He saved His people by bringing them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, so He has saved us through Jesus and blessed us with His Holy Spirit.
Join us this Lent as we go through God’s command to our enemies, to let us go!
Join us on WEDNESDAY, February 18, 2026, at 7:00 PM for Ash Wednesday worship and the Imposition of Ashes.
“Big Things with Small Stuff”
May we see God’s rescue of our evil ways in our personal prison conquered forever through Jesus.
Genesis 3:19
Exodus 2:1-10
The purpose of repentance is not to be swallowed up by guilt. It is to be freed from a dark and destructive direction by God’s wakening Word, and to be sent on a new path by the sin-conquering Savior. It’s what we all need.
THE REV. MIKE NEWMAN PRESIDENT OF THE TEXAS DISTRICT OF THE LC-MS
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our Lenten journey, which culminates on Easter Sunday with the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.
On that night at worship we mark our foreheads with an ash cross and, as that cross is marked, we are reminded of our sins. As we are marked by Jesus’ sacrifice; we are drawn to the realization that “[we] are dust, and to dust [we] shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
On Ash Wednesday and throughout the season of Lent, we also focus on our sins, on repentance, and on our broken world; seeing how we and all of creation has fallen far short of God’s intention and glory.
But we do not despair because we look to the certain hope that is ours through the forgiveness of our sins given to us freely by God’s grace through faith in Jesus.
THE IMPOSITION OF ASHES
Everything we experience in life is
finite and temporal, including our own lives. As the Scripture reports, we came
from the dust of the ground and we will return to the dust of the ground. (Genesis 3:19 & Ecclesiastes 3:20)
For many centuries the use of ashes has symbolized repentance. Imposing ashes in the form of a cross on the forehead of the worshipper on Ash Wednesday is a vivid reminder that such a person has been redeemed by Christ the Crucified. It is a symbol, not primarily of our sins, but upon the forgiveness of them through faith in Jesus.
As Ash Wednesday is a somber time as we remember that Jesus willingly suffering and death come as a result of our sins and His love. As such, at the conclusion of worship that day, we exit the church in silence.
“Repentance slays selfish pride, turns us from sin’s siren call, quiets arrogant arguments, tames out-of-control egos, pulls us back from distraction, leads us to restoration of relationships, places us on the pathway of walking with God, and restores our hearts with compassion and grace.
We need this personally. We need this as schools and congregations. We need this as a District. We need this as a Synod. We need this as Christ’s Church.”
The Rev. Mike Newman President of the Texas District of the LC-MS
