From Dust to Glory: Preparing Our Hearts and Conversations
Every year, our church goes all out for Advent. We slow down. We prepare. We linger over the wonder of Christ’s coming. And that’s good. But Easter—the center of the Christian faith, the victory over sin and death—deserves the same kind of intentional focus.
That’s why this year we want to extend the time we celebrate Easter by inviting our church and our community into a season we’re calling “From Dust to Glory.” Just like we celebrate the birth of Christ during Advent in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this year we will also celebrate the resurrection of Christ during Lent in the 40 days leading up to Easter.
This season reminds us of something we often avoid: our frailty. Scripture is clear—we are dust. We are finite, dependent, and deeply in need of grace. But God doesn’t leave us there without hope. God leads us to Easter morning and eternal life. From repentance to renewal. From the cross to the empty tomb. From dust to glory.
The apostle Paul captures this movement in 1 Corinthians 15:45–49:
“The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven… Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”
In Adam, we share in weakness, sin, and death. In Christ (the last Adam), we are given life, forgiveness, and resurrection hope. Easter is not just about what happened to Jesus; it is about what is promised to us because of Jesus.
Lenten Services
To help us live in that story more intentionally, we are offering two “From Dust to Glory” Lenten services at our downtown campus on Wednesday, February 18th—one midday and one evening—designed to set aside time for reflection in the midst of busy lives. We will also have one evening service at our Nocatee campus.
These services will be simple, reverent, and Scripture-saturated. Through historic hymns, extended Bible readings, guided confession and assurance, we will slow down and remember who we are and whose we are. We will acknowledge our sin honestly, hear the promise of forgiveness clearly, and set our eyes on the resurrection hope that defines us.
Whether you come during a lunch break downtown or in the quiet of the evening, these gatherings are meant to help us prepare our hearts. But we want to prepare for more than Easter Sunday. We want to be ready for important conversations leading up to it.
From Preparation to Proclamation
This season should not only include inward reflection. It also prepares us for outward engagement.
As Easter approaches, conversations naturally open. People are thinking about faith, meaning, mortality, and hope—sometimes more than we realize. The fields are ripe for harvest. People are interested in spiritual matters. We want to be ready with humble confidence in the good news of Jesus.
That’s why, alongside these services, we’re excited to offer “From Dust to Glory” apparel—hats, pins, and t-shirts designed to spark meaningful spiritual conversations with neighbors, friends, and co-workers.
The phrase itself invites questions. What does that mean? Why dust? What glory? And behind that simple phrase is the sweeping story of Scripture: creation, fall, redemption, resurrection.
These items aren’t meant to be flashy or performative. They’re meant to be wearable reminders of the gospel. We want them to be conversation starters that can open doors long after Easter Sunday has passed.
To make participation easy, all “From Dust to Glory” gear will be offered at cost. We want as many people as possible to join in. The idea is for a coworker to ask about your hat. Or a neighbor comment on your shirt. Then a brief exchange can turn into a deeper conversation about hope, forgiveness, and life beyond death.
We hope that this season will prepare our hearts and inform our conversations. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
