What Is God Saying to You?

Who am I? Where am I going? How does God fit into my life? How can my relationship with God help me through tough times?  These are a few of the questions we’ll be exploring at Cornerstone United Methodist Church in a new worship series called “VOICES OF LENT.”  

Shared during worship February 25-March 24, we’ll explore some of the spiritual themes of the Christian season of “Lent,” and how these can sustain and empower us in our lives today.

February 25 -- The Voice of Belonging (Mark 1:9-11)

Discovering our identity in Christ

March 3 – The Voice of Invitation (Matthew 14:22-32) 

                                    Learning how to answer God's calls

March 10 -- The Voice of Awe (Exodus 20:1-20)

Discovering the purposes of God’s law

March 17 -- The Voice of Forgiveness (Psalm 51:1-17)

Discovering the power of forgiveness

March 24 (Palm/Passion Sunday) -- The Voice of Silence (Mark 15:34-39)

Learning to trust God through difficult and trying times

 

L E N T

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus....” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

LENT.  No, it’s not just something that sticks to your clothes.  Instead, Lent is also a season of the Christian year in which we not only prepare our lives for the Easter message of life, death, suffering, and resurrection, but are also encouraged to identify with Christ by allowing us to be used by him as vehicles of God’s grace to others.

The word “Lent” itself comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, which means "spring" -- a reference to the "new life" that Christ brings to us, just as spring brings new life to nature.  For the forty days prior to Easter (beginning this coming Ash Wednesday, February 14th and culminating with Good Friday, March 29th), Christians are invited to focus upon how we practice following Christ in every arena of our lives: home; on the job; at church; in our finances; and in our relationships with others.

And because of its emphasis upon the sacrifice of Christ, Lent has traditionally been a time in which Christians are encouraged to give up worldly things in order to replace them with spiritual things.  As the above scripture reminds us, we are to “lay aside the weight(s) and the sin” that keep us from being the spouse, the friend, the work/schoolmate, etc. that God desires us to be.

What things hinder and interfere with you being the person who God created you to be?  worry?  jealousy?  envy?  bitterness?  pessimism?  fear?  pride?  a bad habit?  gossip?  a judging spirit?  Whatever it is, Lent invites us to give it up -- to junk it -- and, in its place, “look to Jesus” to equip us with those things (love, joy, patience, kindness, forgiveness, etc.) that can help us to “run with perseverance the race [of life] that is set before us.”

Remember, God loves you and I do, too!

1 Corinthians 13 for Today

 “Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13, CEB)

Today in worship, I invite our congregation to read together in unison a re-write of the famous “love chapter” from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 that I wrote.  Here are its words in case you want to re-read it or share it with others…

            “If I worship God in a certain style that I know to be the ‘appropriate’ one, but look down my nose at others who worship differently, or have different skin color, politics, or cultural heritage, then I’m nothing more than a loud, ringing, obnoxious cell phone in a quiet, romantic restaurant.

            If while at church, I speak to all my closest friends each and every week, but fail to go out of my way to welcome the stranger and the guest, then I’m like a tourist at the Grand Canyon who’s only concern is that there’s no WiFi in my hotel room.

            If I do things ‘by the book’ in my church committee or ministry meeting, but ignore the spirit of love that that book represents, then I’m no better than a freight train intentionally running over an innocent bystander.

            If I’m convinced that I’m theologically ‘correct’ about what the Bible says, but don’t manifest those beliefs through my respect and love for others with whom I disagree, then in the eyes of God all my ‘correct’ beliefs count for precisely nothing.

            The heart of Christianity is love and humility in all things.  Acting in love is more important than being ‘right.’  Sharing Christ’s love is more important than whether or not we always get our way.  Love will never fail -- it’s to be the primary motivation for all we say and do in God’s church.

            In the past, when we were young Christians and a young church, we took pride in being gatekeepers of tradition; in not allowing new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new, different people from affecting us too much.  But now that we’re growing up and maturing in our faith, we know we can’t continue to act the way we used to.  Love requires that we give up our old, immature ways.

            So now these three remain: FAITH to trust God through changes and new things and new people; HOPE that we don’t have to be who we used to be; and LOVE which enables us to live and act more Christlike along our life's journeys.  But the greatest of these is self-giving, self-sacrificing, God-like LOVE.”

Always remember that God loves you and I do, too!