Lent
March 24, 2015

Scripture Reading: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29

 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
   that I may enter through them
   and give thanks to the Lord. 

This is the gate of the Lord;
   the righteous shall enter through it.— Psalm 118:19-20

One of the greatest challenges facing Christians today is living righteousness. Sin, in one of its most potent forms, is distortion of what is right. These are most often very subtle variations on a theme but they can lead to great evil. I watched the movie The Book Thief* recently. It documents the rise of Hitler in Germany through the lives of a family striving to do what is right when all about them are ever so slowly being beguiled into lives of self-righteousness.

The prophet Amos describes righteousness as being like a plumb line used in building.  And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumb-line
   in the midst of my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by; (Amos 7:8)

A plumb line is a simple cord with a weight on its end. Hung from the top of a building project, it becomes a true straight line by which bricklayers can determine the exact position to place each break to assure a strong and sturdy structure. The plumb line is totally dependent on the power of gravity to keep it accurate. The line must be strong and the weight must be heavy enough to keep the line straight even in fierce winds.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the plumb line that God set in our midst. He came to show us the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Our tasks is to continually set our sights for living based on that line and not let the prevailing winds distort our vision.

Prayer: Lord, we have had your teachings now for 2000 years. The prophets that came before you showed the way. Yet we continue to miss the mark and not do what is right in accordance with your love. Forgive us and strengthen our sight. Amen.

*Based on the book with the same title by Markus Zusak

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.