Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  Romans 12:2

How is your Lenten season going?  Did you begin Ash Wednesday with great plans for daily scripture, prayer and fasting?  Are you doing it, or do some days just get too busy?

Truthfully, it is sometimes hard to begin a new routine of prayer and meditation, especially if our daily lives do not (or in many cases, cannot) change.  Yet are there some areas where we are conforming to the demands of the world instead of renewing ourselves?

Paul calls us to be transformed, to allow the Spirit to change us for the better.  The Lenten journey is a great time for this, and if you have not started yet, or got off track, no problem, just begin again.  Keep trying, keep working and allow God to make those changes.

As you travel through these Lenten days, keep your eyes upon the Lord.  Make those little changes that give you more time for God.  Notice God in the budding flowers, the change in the winter sky, the feel of the coming spring.  Find God in the eyes of those around you, even strangers.  Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near (Isaiah 55:6).

Peace,

Pastor Bill

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it?  Can we all agree on everything, especially with a church so fractured, so divided among so many thoughts. 

Somehow I don’t think that’s what Paul was saying, yet he is calling the church at Corinth, and the entire church, to a higher ethic. 

Do you have a disagreement with church leadership?  Do you have an issue with a fellow members?  Consider Paul’s instruction, pray about it and then follow the way of Jesus to resolve things.  Do not let some minor issue fester until it becomes a break in fellowship.

During this Lenten journey, take time to pray about these things, decide if they are truly an issue, and if not, lay them at the foot of the cross. If they truly are a divide, go to the person and find a godly way to resolve your differences.  After all, the real enemy is not the church member you disagree with, rather the one who wants to destroy the church.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

But I, by your great love, can come into your house; in reverence I bow down toward your holy temple. Psalm 5:7

Often people joke with me saying if they walked into a church the ceiling would crumble, or some other such “devastation”.  It is a way of saying they don’t attend worship – and deep down, there is something they have done or are doing that preclude them from the sanctuary.

It may be a joke from someone who just doesn’t want to go to church, yet deep inside there is something else.  Many people just do not feel that they are good enough to be in the holy space.  They believe their sinfulness makes them unworthy of God’s love.

Yet the psalmist makes it clear – we, through God’s love, can come into God’s house.  It is not about our holiness, rather God’s holiness and grace.  It is not about how good or bad we are, rather how much God loves us and wants our presence.

Our worth is not determined by us, rather by God for it is in God’s image we are created, and God’s actions we can be forgiven and redeemed.

Peace,

Pastor Bill

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matthew 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most recognized prayers in all history.  Jesus gave us this prayer as a gift.  Having difficulty in praying?  Say the Lord’s Prayer.  Need to pray with a group?  Say the Lord’s Prayer.  Want to know how God wants us to live?  Say the Lord’s Prayer. 

Once I made an emergency visit to a church member actively dying.  He had dementia and did not know who I was, nor did he say anything to me during the visit.  Until I prayed the Lord’s Prayer.  He joined with me in every word.  This was the last time we spent together on this earth, and it was powerful.  This prayer was a gift of grace from Jesus at that moment.

When we slow down and focus on each line of the prayer, we are not praying in vain or repetition, rather we are declaring our faith in God, and our desire to follow God’s will.

As you journey through this week, consider the Lord’s Prayer.  Say it slowly, meditate over each line, each word and allow the prayer to change you.

Peace,

Pastor Bill