Lent

March 28, 2022

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord,
   who makes a way in the sea,
   a path in the mighty waters,
who brings out chariot and horse,
   army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
   they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
Do not remember the former things,
  or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.
The wild animals will honor me,
   the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
   rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
   the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.

Over the past few years, I have had a sense that we are living in a time that is as consequential as the Reformation, the Renaissance, or the Industrial Revolution all woven together. Religion is in chaos, digital communication surpasses the printing press, and travel has made the world more accessible. How we deal with such change will pave our path for the future. Where is our faith amid such change? How do we discern God’s way in the anger and divisiveness that flows through our systems of faith, government, and culture?

Isaiah tells us in 700 BCE that God is about to do a new thing in us, and God still is today. God will not rest until God’s Kingdom is fulfilled and neither should we.

Prayer: Here we are open to doing whatever you call us to do as we work toward the actualization of your Kingdom on earth, show us the way, and help us follow your path. Amen.

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.