Lent
March 19, 2019
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9
Seek the Lord while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way,
and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. –Isaiah 55:6-9
Will there come a time when the Lord cannot be found or when God is not near? If we accept the definition of sin as separation from God and that God will not move away from us, then this scripture suggests that we must think we can move beyond God’s reach. Such a way of thinking is human. God, however, does not think like that. It really is rather arrogant for us to even consider that we are beyond God’s reach. Indeed, it takes a lot of courage to turn away from such an ingrained mindset. God is the one who can enable such a transformation.
God was not joking when he stressed that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. In trying to understand this whole white supremacist ideology, I can only conclude that some people do not love themselves well, if they primarily define their worth as it relates to being better than some other(s) whomever he or she or they might be. I have observed among friends and acquaintances that the worse legacy a parent can rest on a child is that the child is innately better than others. Why? Because the child can never live up to that standard and thus often becomes a bully to prove their supreme worth or develops a severe inferiority complex.
We are each called to pursue wholeness and to claim the full potential with which we were each created. As Paul says all have gifts differing*. While we are each unique and special, we are all equally blessed with the grace of God that completes us. Being made in the image of God is a gift; grace, too, is a gift and together they become the great equalizer that enables us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We all need to make sure we open and accept God’s gifts.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we pull away from you and seek definitions of our worth from the world. Help us accept your gift of grace. Amen.
*See Romans 12:6