Lent in a Box—Making Sense of the Cross

Lent is the perfect time to focus attention on the cross. For while all Christians know that Jesus’ death is important, even central, to their faith, many don’t really understand why. Moreover, in the popular religious culture of North America, there seems to be only one acceptable understanding of the cross—the penal substitution theory—even though Christians have understood the cross in a variety of ways across the centuries. In this class, participants will be equipped to provide Sunday worship and sermons, midweek services, devotions and educational programs that will root their people in the biblical story about Jesus’ passion. We’ll also cover the rich heritage of metaphors by which to understand the significance of the crucifixion. Using the Augsburg Fortress materials connected with his “Making Sense of the Cross” course, author and teacher David Lose will invite participants to go deep into the cross this Lenten season so we might have a new appreciation both for Jesus’ death and for his resurrection and life among us.

Recommended Resources:
Dr. Lose will reference Making Sense of the Cross leader guide and participant book during the course. Although not required, it would be helpful to have them for the class.