Lent
March 23, 2017
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Sleeper, awake!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’
What an interesting scripture! My first impression on reading it was that I never read it before. I know that is not true because I have read the entire Bible more than once, taught the book of Ephesians where every verse was considered, and followed the lectionary, from which this was selected, in daily devotions for many years. God plants seed for thought as we need them.
Two things greatly debated in our society these days are, the protection of privacy and the need for transparency creating a contraction or at least a bit of a conundrum, wouldn’t you say? At least 20 years ago, something happened at the state agency where I worked resulting from an inappropriate email that was sent. I do not remember what the email contained; it did make the evening news. While the controversy happened in a totally different area of the agency, we were all advised to take notice. At a follow-up staff meeting, I remember telling my staff they should not put anything in an email they would not want their mother to read on the front page of the local paper. Government employees live in glass houses so do Christians. Our lives interpret the story of Jesus to others, right or wrong.
Just like everyone else, I do not want my identify stolen, but keeping those pesky passwords up to date and remembering them is not the subject of our scripture today. Psalm 51:10 (Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me) guides us to an openness enabling us to let our light shine. When that happens, others can see the love of God present and engaged in the world today. Psalm 139 is a good reminder that God knows our every move, our every thought, our every action and when we fail to act. If we live with that in mine and hone our lives to please God, we need not fear the darkness surrounding us or being the light of the world Jesus called us to be.
Prayer: Psalm 139: 1-6
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it. Amen.