Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Last year my wife, Kathy, and I attended worship on Ash
Wednesday where we received the imposition of ashes. This practice of ashes imposed on the
forehead is an outward sign of sorrow over the sin which darkens our
hearts. After worship, I attended choir
practice and Kathy went to the grocery store.
A checker at the store asked Kathy, “What are you giving up for Lent?”
Lent is the church season each Spring, extending from Ash
Wednesday to Easter Sunday, when many traditional Christians especially focus
and meditate upon the suffering and death of Jesus for the sin of the world,
for our sin. The sacrificial death of
Jesus for the world is The event
which changed the course of history, and continues to be the greatest gift of
love recorded. That the Creator of the
universe would die to pay for the sins of His creation is love beyond any
expectation or hope. But, Jesus’ sacrifice
is real! As God inspired the apostle
John to write, “This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” (1 John 3:16 a)
So, if a person sees and believes this ultimate gift of
love, how should we respond? In remembrance
and response to Jesus’ suffering and death, Christians have often chosen “give
up” something which they enjoy during the season of Lent. I have heard of friends giving up chocolate,
or alcohol, or coffee. For years our
family gave up watching TV shows during Lent.
Sometimes, instead of giving something up, I have heard of Christians
adding a faithful practice, such as reading through the New Testament in the
season of Lent. Such self sacrifice,
partial fasting, or self-discipline can be a good spiritual exercise, but also
comes with some pitfalls. Giving up
something cherished can train our hearts and bodies for the sacrifice required
to resist temptation and sin. It can
also remind us of the depth of Jesus’ love that He gave up heaven, and suffered
and died for us. Such growth and self-discipline
is good. Yet, I have often heard people
speak of such sacrifices grudgingly, as if this was something I HAD to do, even
if I did not want to do so. Rather than
growing in an appreciation for Jesus’ sacrifice, we can resent this
“requirement” of our faith. Such
practice forgets that God’s love is a free gift – not earned, and forgets what
God really wants.
In Psalm 51 God tells us how to
respond to our sin which is so heinous that He had to send His Son to save
us. “16 You do not delight in
sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:16-17) God wants a changed heart rather than outward
observance.
What would God then want us to give up, if we give up
anything? Our Lord would call us to
refrain from self-righteousness and sinful pride. God desires that we realize the depth of our
selfishness and our sin, and to realize that Jesus is our only hope. Consider the truth of 1 John 1. “5 This
is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him
there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk
in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:5-9) When we confess our sin, our heart turns from
self-righteousness. When we trust that “the
blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin,” we grow in gratitude for
the gracious love of God shown in Jesus, and He forgives us.
Lent is a time set aside to intentionally remember our
sin, to repent of such sin, which led Jesus to go to the cross, and to wonder
in faith and amazement at the love of God who sacrificed for our sin. It is good to observe the penitential season
of Lent, especially as we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ victory over sin, over
death, and over Satan, in His resurrection from the dead. That is why many congregations have extra
mid-week Lenten worship services to help in this discipline.
I can ask, “What are you giving up for Lent?” But, more appropriately I ask, “How will you intentionally
turn from self-righteousness and sin, to the gracious and merciful love of God
found in Jesus?” That is what Lent is
really about.
A Child of God, Seeking to Turn from
Self-Righteousness and Sin, to Turn in Amazement and Wonder at the Sacrifice of
Jesus!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I encourage
you to attend worship this Ash Wednesday, and every week during the Lenten
Season, if not in person, then online.
Worship is a godly discipline which helps to change our hearts.
P.P.S. On Thursday, February 16, Kathy and I took a day
trip to O’Leno State Park in High Springs, FL.
The Santa Fe River flows through the park and then sinks
underground. It rises 4 miles further
south. We walked along the river to the
sink, and visited a small museum about the CCC founded under the administration
of Franklin Roosevelt. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/w8ZS17UHwhFv9YmD9
P.P.P.S. I did go fishing
last week.
·
On Wednesday, February 15, I fished first Harris-Tsala
Chain of Lakes and only had 3 bites, so I went visiting. I ultimately fished at
the Suwannee and caught a nice fish.
o Harris-Tsala
- https://photos.app.goo.gl/BPxWgF7LVQPAHfzQ6
o Suwannee
- https://photos.app.goo.gl/g3QxtcAxFUZ2ZaH5A
·
On Saturday, February 18, I fished at on the
Suwannee River with my brother, Stephen.
The river was especially swift, and the weather was cool, and very WINDY!
We had a few bites, but caught no fish.
L Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZSnjJnDwESztDdWv8
·
On Tuesday, February 21, I went fishing in a
favorite lake. Again, it was VERY
WINDY! Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/6mTzm42Rb7RTHmiW6
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019
from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly devotion previously
entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St.
John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive
it. (Though I am now serving again
part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you
stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions
and do not wish to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove
your name from my distribution list. My
e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer
is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord,
Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
No comments:
Post a Comment