3-1-2017

Good Morning All,

           Mark 8:34; ^“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

      We are once again entering into the Lenten season.  It is a time where we intentionally focus upon the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  We ponder our sinfulness and the wretched state that we are in without Jesus.  We view our life in the terms of the cross and see how we come up short.  Many people take this time of the year and give something up for Lent.  They may give up chocolate, or diet coke, or Starbucks or some such pleasure in life.  They do so in order to remember Lent.  By giving something up, we remember what Jesus gave up in order to bring us salvation.  This can be a fine endeavor for Lent but sometimes it leads us to focus on the wrong element of Jesus’ life and cause us to react in the wrong manner.  Lent should not be about guilt; Lent is about renewal.

    Too often, when we give something up, we are trying to emulate Jesus’ humiliation and the laying aside of his glory in order to become humble unto death “even death on a cross.”  We look at the suffering and death and we feel guilt over our sins and so respond out of guilt and self-hatred.  The thought is “we are not worthy” tends to be the driving force.  Yet to take this view can devalue the work of Jesus.  To look at our lives and think that we are worthless pieces of junk devalues Jesus and his willingness to die for us.  We miss the point that Jesus acted for us because of love.  Love which causes someone to desire to do something for the good or the benefit of another person.  We see the highest love as doing this for someone who cannot ever return this love.  So we see Jesus taking on our humanity, our sinfulness and our condition; not as a requirement but as an act of total love.  Rather than guilt, we should feel joy, hope and love- a desire to do something for the good or the benefit of another person.

   This is why I always encourage our congregations to “take something up” rather than “give something up” for Lent.  Let us take something up that will remind us and renew us of what Christ has done for us and is doing for us right now.  Take something up.  Some suggest going through your house and taking at least one item a day to the local goodwill shop.  Some suggest taking one food item to the local food bank or to the local shelter.  Some take a more ascetic approach and take up a reading program.  All of these are fine endeavors.  In our congregations we are going to take up prayer.

    Our goal is to intentionally add one time a day to our prayer regime.  If you pray once a day now we will pray twice a day; if you pray twice a day now it is three times; if you do not pray at all now is a good time to start.  We will pray for specific people, their needs and for God blessing them.  During this Lenten season, “take something up”; strive to be more Christ-like in your life and in your actions.  Show the love of Christ to those around you, pray for them and nurture them when you can.  Love one another.

Gracious Lord, in your Passion we see perfect love.  Lead us to live this same love to others.  Guide us to place their needs in our hearts that we may ever care for them.  In your name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret