Lent

March 11, 2021

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Being alive in Christ is about priorities. I do not know how many times I have seen people interviewed by TV news after some sort of disaster. These victims usually say something to the effect that the family survived, which is all that mattered. In Oklahoma, that is often the sentiment when a tornado or fire destroys a home. Being alive in Christ is living what really matters and that begins and ends with our love relationship with God in Christ. God’s love for us and our love for God naturally spreads to our love for one another when we do not let the world interfere.

Regular communication with God is necessary to keep our priorities straight. Aligning our life goals with God’s requires systematic reviews of outcomes from our efforts and discerning any needs to alter our courses. As we age, our life goals in God’s service may need to be adjusted to address alterations in our world and changes in our skills and talents.

Recognizing distractions for what they are is essential.  More important is learning how to work around them. When I was in grade school, my church decided new chairs were needed at the communion table. The wooden chairs had become quite rickety. A committee was appointed to obtain the new chairs, and the war began. Some wanted upholstered chairs, others demanded that we retain the historic look of wooden seats, and some did not think we needed chairs at all. I do not remember how long this feud continued. I do not even remember what kind of chairs we finally got. We lost one family from the church because of the bruhaha, and we wasted a lot of good energy that could have been channeled to more meaningful work.

We rarely take the time to seek the underlying causes of people’s responses. Most people like to be respected for their ideas. Loving one another is like loving God. It works best when we get to know God and one another better.

Prayer: Lord, help us first look for your image in others as we learn to love all your children enabling each other’s skills and talents as we work together toward building the Kingdom of God. 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.