Fourth Sunday of Lent

 

For our fourth Sunday of Lent, we will reflect upon 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. What a beautiful message Paul illuminates in his second letter to the church of Corinthians.  Would you in this moment take a step back, take a deep breath, and consider the enormity of the message Paul is expressing. That is, God our creator is inviting us into relationship with Him through the gift of reconciliation through His son Jesus Christ.  The result is that our insecurities, failures, and our sin do not define our existence, our story. Instead, our narrative finds new meaning when we strive to become so thoroughly transformed by Christ Jesus that we become as Paul writes a “new creation”.  To this end, I pray Christ ignites your soul today with hope, meaning, and purpose. Would you make a choice to pursue Christ this week and deeply consider what it means to be a new creation. In doing so, I am confident that the Holy Spirit will meet you in a tangible way.

It is important to note that Paul does not simply stop at the expression of our personal journey of faith. Rather, Paul writes that we are Christ’s ambassadors, and that we are to be part of Christ’s plan to reconcile the world to Himself. My prayer for you today is that you would ask God to allow you to have interactions with your co-workers, neighbors, strangers, friends, or even strained relationships you may have, that would allow you to take part in this important task. As you do so, would you consider the words of Dietrich Bonheoffer who wrote “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”

My prayer is that we would continually strive to be known as a church that shows grace, love, and generosity to our community. Be mindful this week to guard your words, guard your actions, and deeply consider that no matter what stage of life you find yourself in, you are intricately connected to how our community sees Jesus. I pray that you actively pursue God this week, that you embrace what it means to be a new creation,  and that God uses you in a significant way in our community.

– Gordon Houston