Mar 01

Lent and Self Image

Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
(Isaiah 6:5)

     It seems in some circles that feeling bad about yourself is one of the greatest sins.  With all our emphasis on giving children and other confidence and acceptance we put a lot of effort into building their self-image.  By and large this is a positive emphasis, because we are accepted fully in Christ Jesus.

     In the traditional practice of Lent, we have an emphasis on “just as I am, poor, wretched, blind.”  And seeing ourselves as failures and worthless before God.  The honest, spiritual inventory called in traditional Lent, should not be shied away from.  For we must have an accurate diagnosis or assessment of our spiritual and ethical health before we can take measures to healthy living.  Yet, we must also do and accurate spiritual inventory of our strengths lest we slide into despair. 

     So, in our self-examination of Lent let us think back to last Lent and see how we have improved, how we have overcome our flaws, and how we have become stronger in our faith.  This is the encouragement of Lent.  This makes Lent a season with the promise of building our self-image or self-understanding.  It is not just a time to ask for God’s help in overcoming our deficiencies, but seeing how God’s power has helped us grow, develop, and mature in the past.

Pastor Greg

Feb 22

Baptized Dust

for out of it you were taken; you are dust,    and to dust you shall return.”
(Genesis 3:19)

We begin Lent with the solemn reminder of the words of our Creator, “you are from dust and you are going to dust.”  This reminder is not to make us feel worthless, but to remind us how transient life is and how fragile is our existence.  That is why we have Lent, so that we may take seriously our relationship with God, the ways we have failed in living into God’s image, and the wonders of the Resurrection as it relates to creatures like us.
         
          This brings us into an attitude of soberness as we consider our existence.  A sober look at ourselves and the ways that we have allowed sin to mess up our lives and relationships.  A sober look at the things we hold as valuable and place them in their proper perspective.  And a sober look at the purpose of our lives and fulfilling its meaning.

          Lest we think that Lent is all a “downer” time, let us remember the fact that we are only dust reminds us of the profound love of God for us.  My favorite Psalm says:

      For he knows how we were made;
        he remembers that we are dust.
        Psalm 103:14

Besides the mark of dust and ashes that we wear for Lent, we also bear another mark.  We have been marked by baptism.  The Apostle reminds us, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27.) Through the work of Christ, we are not just dust blowing in the wind, we are baptized dust, loved by our Heavenly Father and kept on his mind.  We are transformed dust robed with the Son of God that loved us and gave himself for us.

          During this Lent remember that you are baptized dust, so go and act like it.

Pastor Greg

Feb 16

Jesus Faces Rejection Too

     In the second half of Mark’s Gospel, we are introduced to a new situation.  Jesus faces rejection.  The first half he was questioned, but now his message is rejected and people turn their backs on Jesus.  The rich man receives the answer to his deepest question, but walks away.  The scribe answers correctly and is not far from the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34).  Yet they did not dare go any further. 

      I try to put myself in the position of the rich man and scribe.  What would make me reject Jesus and the promise of eternal life?  I guess there are several reasons. One could be that I would want to keep my options open.  You never can tell when something better will come along.  Another reason maybe I think there is plenty of time and I do not have to commit now.  Yet the story line of Mark is taking Jesus to Jerusalem and he never returns to these men.

     I am sure there are other reasons we could list why would a person in general or these men in particular reject Jesus.  But it comes down to my own personal experience.  Do I reject Jesus?  When he asks me to give something or do something, do I just turn and walk away?  When he challenges my opinions about the Bible or my way of living, do I shut my mouth and hope that there is not another mention of the problem?  And, taking it further, how do I respond when I am rejected for following Jesus?

     Rejection of the gracious gift of eternal life in Christ happens.  Our call is to be faithful in sharing the good news of Jesus’ love.  Rarely can we argue someone into the Kingdom of God.  It is not just us having to give the correct answer.  It is a spiritual problem.  The Spirit of God is the one that must call the person to Christ.  When rejections come, they first are rejecting the Spirit before they reject us.  That is why we must be faithful in well doing.

Pastor Greg

Feb 08

Coming with Power

And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.  Who is it who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  1 John 5:4-5
            The power of the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 9:1) has sadly been misinterpreted by so many.  Our sensibilities today try to avoid militaristic images in our faith or terms that invoke a use of forceful coercion.  This has hampered us as we apply justice, righteousness, and compassion in the affairs of human society. 
          There is a struggle between the world and our faith.  There is a way of living that leads to victory.  Our faith provides that victory.  But how does it do that?
            In this Sunday’s text (Mark 8:27-9:8), the apostles finally acknowledge who Jesus is, he’s the Messiah.  And immediately he calls the crowds to himself and tells them that if they want to follow him, they must take up their cross.  The cross was the most shameful way in the Roman world.  This means the way of no pride, no self-interest, and only yielding to your situation.
          One commentator on Mark says the message is “Our leader was crucified, come and join us?”  The faith that overcomes follows Jesus as he was fully submitted to the will of God, he died and unjust death, but God demonstrated that Jesus was accepted when he raised him from the dead, declaring that he is the Son of God (cf. Rom 1:4).  As we are fully submitted to the will of God, the righteousness of God that comes through the faith of Jesus, we are confident that we too will be declared to be God’s own in the resurrection.  That is our faith that God will justify the one who has the faith of Jesus dwelling in them.           We overcome not by political power, but by humbly following the way of the cross, the way of the faith of Jesus.

Pastor Greg

Next meal: 5/25/2025