My brothers and sisters in Christ,
Are we prepared for Lent? Is it something you can prepare for? Initially, I say yes. I think with all our business, we need to take time to both reflect and repent. Through reflection, through honest reflection, we can find ways that we fall short of God’s glory. Let’s call it for what it is. It’s sin. Sometimes, we may be so quick to point out the faults of others that we don’t do the hard work of searching for what separates us from God. That is what it is, a separation of God. If we only felt a fraction of how God feels about sin, I know it would change my behavior. Yours? How does God feel? He sent his Son to die for us. That is how he feels. This Lenten journey we take this year will hopefully remind us of this.
I remember when I taught, I had students who wanted no part of what I was teaching. Sort of like being a Pastor. Even though we were supposed to bat 100% with our students/congregation, how realistic is that? But if they just turned around, maybe took a hesitant step towards what was being offered, I was all over them. They didn’t need to meet me halfway, just turn around.
I think God is like this. The word repent in Hebrew means “to turn around.” Just turn around, and I picture God being all over you(me). To turn around, to repent. This is our response to the grace which God gives us freely. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can now approach this “throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.” All because of God’s love for us.
I am a big believer in God’s love. Not only is it love, but God’s “steadfast love.” A repeatable love, a love that never wavers. It would have been a heck of a lot easier if God just programmed us to love him, sort of like your spouse being programmed to love you. A simple electronic chip, I think, would work.
But what kind of love is that? I hope none of us want that kind of love. I hope we want people to love us because they want to love us. I could be very wrong, but I think it’s what God wants also. God wants us to love him because we want to, because we have fallen in love with him. Again, this is what I believe: that God loves you so much that he will honor your love or lack of love for him. He will never stop pursuing; his love is steadfast, just turn around.
The best thing is that God takes us the way we are. We don’t have to clean up our lives. God loves a broken heart, a broken spirit. He takes us the way we are, “wouldn’t change a thing” (The Truth by Megan Woods). It is nothing we earn. However, it is the response of God’s great love for us that we do want to change; we do want to clean up our act. When we were first married, my wife hated when I left crumbs on the counter when I made toast. Now I can do two things. One, leave them. Two, because of my great love for her, clean them up. We have been married for over 41 years. You can guess what I picked.
Please don’t take these examples I wrote in this letter that my love compares to God’s love. It doesn’t, not even close! My mercy and forgiveness don’t either, not even close. I hang onto wrongs for way too long. God promises to forgive and forget. Can we all learn a lesson from this?
If God truly shows us mercy, forgives our wrongdoings, and then forgets them, why in the world wouldn’t we come to him to repent? I wish I had an answer for this. Maybe today we will, or maybe tomorrow? Maybe during this Lenten season, we will try again to bring our sins to God. Maybe we will finally believe that we have a God who is so ready to forgive, to show you mercy. Maybe?
Hopefully, you picked up our 40 Intentional Acts handout at the end of service last weekend. If you didn’t, you can always get it at our Ash Wednesday services or next weekend. We are going to have a little fun with this by offering gift cards to the ones who performed the most of them in each category.
The church also purchased Lenten Devotionals. Please pick them up if interested, either after service or in the office.
Ash Wednesday Schedule February 18
Drive-up ashes – 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
12:00 p.m. service in Liefeld Lounge
6:30 p.m. service in the sanctuary
Don’t forget that we will be doing the Holden Evening Prayer service on the Wednesdays of Lent starting February 25. These services will start at 6:30 p.m.
Ready or not…
Cross marked and spirit sealed.
Pastor Tom
815-223-1144
Readings for Ash Wednesday, February 18
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 Psalm 51:1-17 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Readings for the first Weekend of Lent, February 21 & 22.
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12-19 Matthew 4:1-11