THANKFUL LOVE
Our afternoons are getting brighter and we have more sun these days. It may be too soon but maybe there is a hint of Spring in the air. Spiritually, Spring’s arrival means Lent will begin before long. Fat Tuesday is a day of feasting, lot’s of fun and a final fling. As we eat, drink and be merry today, keep in mind that there is more to life. At the stroke of Midnight on Ash Wednesday is the sober arrival of the long season of Lent.
On Ash Wednesday, the sign of the cross is applied to the forehead of repentant Christians during the imposition of ashes. It is a reminder of the sign of the cross placed on us in our Baptism and the filth of our sin that has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. The ashes, burnt leftovers from Palm Sunday, symbolize grief and remorse. ”Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.’ Our spirits will return to God. Each year, the Christian church embarks on the forty-day journey known as Lent. The Lenten season begins in Winter, Ash Wednesday March 5, 2025. It continues into Spring to Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025, the start of the Easter weekend. The Church calls us to begin ‘a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection”. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a joyous season, but a time of special devotion, charity, self-denial and humble repentance. Lent is a quiet time. a time to recognize the stillness. ”Be Still and Know I am God” (Psalm 46:10) We need times of quiet and peace, time to grow and become strong. We need time to learn wisdom, confess our sins and grow close to God. During Lent’s 40 days, God’s baptized people cleanse their hearts through repentance and prayer. It is an opportunity to reflect on our own baptism and what it means to be ”Children of God”.
Each of the Church’s seasons are observed and honored, but only Lent is ”kept”. The holy season of Lent invites us to be ”keepers” who keep the fast, keep the silence and keep the focus on Jesus. Many Christians practice fasting and quit bad habits during Lent. ”Giving Up Something for Lent” is supposed to connect you with the forty days Jesus spent in. the wilderness in prayer and fasting. For Christians, to ”Keep the Fast” is to follow Jesus on the cross to pay the world’s sins. Another spiritual dynamic of Lent is to ”Keep the Silence”, in reflection and devotion. The church assumes a prayer filled character. The church’s vocal and instrumental music is subdued and reflective. The color purple adorns the church in various manners. It is the’ ‘quietest” of the colors throughout the church year. Purple has become to represent solemnity, penitence and prayer as God’s people meditate on the agony Jesus endured.
How do we ‘Keep the focus”? If you’re struggling, not feeling good enough or righteous enough, you should know God is with you and cares for you. He invites all of us, the good, the bad and the ugly. Find that quiet space and pray and talk to God. Ask God to make Himself real to you and experience His profound love. In the silence, open your Bibles, listen and reflect on God’s words. Meditate on His truths. Spend some time reading the Gospels and be of good faith. Despite our fears, our doubts, our desperations, and our angers, God will not give up on us. Ask God how you can serve Him. Lent is the time we pray for the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power to fill our hearts and homes with the grace and peace that belong to children of God.
As we keep the fast, keep the silence and keep the focus on Jesus, we learn more of our Lord and His loving plan to redeem a world in desperate need of salvation. You may be well along on your Lenten journey. May it be a blessing for you to experience the great love of Jesus. God is calling you to be a part of the Lutheran Hour Ministry’s mission See how the Lord will work through us. Your donations and prayers make a very real impact on this ministry every day. Lutheran Hour Ministries offers programs and resources to help people, as Christians, to share the joy of Christ.
The Lutheran Hour can be heard every Sunday on radio stations
WCCO (830 AM) at 6:05am
KRWC (1360 AM) at 7:30am
KDUZ (1260 AM) at 12:30pm
KDHL (920 AM) at 6:00pm
Stay connected to the Lutheran Hour Ministries
Learn more……..visit lhm.org | thred.org | lhm.org/mensnetwork
Friend us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
You can now receive daily devotional emails:
Click on “Daily Devotion by LHM” at the bottom of any page within StPeterlc.